Condobolin paused to remember those who served Australia when they were called to do so on ANZAC Day (25 April). The community honoured the courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Commemorations in Condobolin began with a Dawn Service at Memorial Park. This was followed by a breakfast for Ex-servicemen and women at the RSL Club. The March started at 10.45am, and made its way down McDonnell Street, Bathurst Street, William Street and then onto Memorial Park. Condobolin RSL Club President Michael Wighton welcomed the community, acknowledging the courage and sacrifice of our current and former service men and women who have served and died in all conflicts, and the country’s allies and partners who have served alongside them. A Prayer for King and Nation, and the Lord’s Prayer were delivered by Jodie Elliott. Special Guest speaker for ANZAC Day was Ken Riach. At the conclusion of Mr Riach’s speech, Flowers of the Forest was played by Rob Neal.

HONOURING, REMEMBERING AND PAYING TRIBUTE

Ken Riach was the special guest speaker at the 2023 Condobolin ANZAC Day Commemoration Service, held at Memorial Park on Tuesday, 25 April.
Following is the speech, in full, that he made on the day.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and a special welcome to the students who are here today.
“NO GREATER LOVE, are the simple words inscribed on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Canberra. This is an abridged version of a verse from the Bible, which reads “No greater love hath man than the willingness to give his life for a friend”.
“ANZAC Day is not Australia’s National Day – but in recent years it has come to feel like it. It is a day of enduring importance to Australians, linked to our collective desire to remember more than one life; we honour ANZAC Day to remember the lives of many. But, more importantly we remember and pay tribute to more than 100,000 dead and remind them and ourselves that their lives and their deaths meant something and still do.
“It is a day to give those a voice who lost theirs in faraway lands. Since 1914 from World War 1, II, Korea, Vietnam and numerous other places around the World the experiences and suffering of many have entered the lore of the Australian psyche and still retain relevance to Australia today as it reflects many Australian qualities and values.
“ANZAC Day commemorates many events – not a great success or a great victory for freedom over oppression. It commemorates the story of us – our collective story told over the years that has become who we are today and who we will be tomorrow.
“For all those who fought not only on the Western Front or Gallipoli, but also in the sands of the Middle East at places whose names have become legendary. It would make no difference if it were mud or sand, both would absorb the blood of many.
“War destroys hope and our sense of humanity. During the World Wars there seemed no end to the slaughter, to the casualty trains, to the families who hid behind curtains as the local priests, or the telegram boy walked down the street praying it would not be their door that he would stop at. For that visit meant the loss of another husband, father, brother. “Another family torn apart by the senseless and easy violence of war.
“ANZAC Day signifies the Australian spirit and the great quality of human endeavour, it has inspired a legend. Like all legends, it is a mix of fact and fiction, but it provides us with an opportunity to come together and remember. It is an opportunity to remember the lives of all those who gave theirs for a greater good. That good is the ability to sit here today in a free country with the opportunity for a future that we can make for ourselves in whatever form we see fit.
“All of them were husbands, brothers, fathers, sons or just mates; they were beloved members of families and nations. Today we pledge to recommit to our memory, the lives of all who were either lost or broken not only at Messines Ridge, Bullecourt, Beersheba, or “Passchendaele but also wherever in the world they have fought and spilled their blood in conflict or peace keeping operations. The tragedy of war is often not those who die but those who survive with the physical and mental scars that time will not heal.
“We honour their service in past and present conflicts, peacekeeping, and community rebuilding operations.
“What do we value in the ANZAC spirit?
“Is it the valour in a good cause, the courage, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship, and endurance?
“To me, it is these things and yet so much more – it is the value of openness in learning about the experiences of so many whose lives were torn apart by war.
“It is the story of your own families.
“It is the story about the servicemen and women, those directly in combat; those imprisoned; those who nursed and transported and those who stayed behind to keep our nation functioning. It is about the loved ones they found, and those who they were separated from. The children they had and then had to farewell, the parents they never saw again and the homes they never returned to. It is our way to say thank you for the isolation, confusion, melancholy, relief, and pride they all felt in their own ways.
“ANZAC Day gives us meaning to death, human triumph, and defeat. This is what enables us to forgive, and to learn from our successes and our failures. It gives us a greater understanding of who we are.
“These ordinary men named on these walls across Australia did not start the war or conflict, but they put their lives at risk for what they believed and far too many paid the supreme price. All soldiers, sailors and airmen are representatives of the people of Australia, they carry with them our hopes and dreams.
Prime Minister Paul Keating said it best about the Unknown Soldier; “He is one of them and he is all of us”.
“ANZAC Day is a day for all Australians regardless of religion, racial background or even place of birth. It is a day to commemorate the bravery of past and present sacrifices. It is a day to remember the Indigenous soldiers who for so long have been ignored by the official histories of the war for their contribution. It is a day to remember the selflessness of all those who were prepared to give their lives for Australia so it can be the place of freedom that it is today.
“ANZAC Day is about remembrance, deference, and thankfulness. It is about who we are today, the values we live by and hold to our hearts, what we hope and wish to be.
“Today is significant because it is for all of us. To members of families and of nations we hold you in our memories, in our arms, and in our dreams. It was the birth of our nation, and one can only hope that this thought provided some comfort to the parents of the Anzac whose very Australian headstone stands where the first landing took place at Gallipoli. It reads: Died aged 18 near this spot – April 25, 1915 – Did his best.”