Diggers win the anthem battle

By Shaun Inguanzo
LOCAL Diggers blocked a Casey councillor’s attempt to scrap the singing of the British national anthem, God Save the Queen, at an Endeavour Hills Anzac service this week.
Four Oaks Ward councillor Rob Wilson lobbied the organisers of the service at the Dandenong RSL to drop the anthem because school children attending might not have understood its relevance.
God Save the Queen was the Australian national anthem until 1984.
But prominent Dandenong RSL figures, including secretary John Laughton, retaliated and entered negotiations with Cr Wilson on Friday to convince him of its significance to veterans.
Cr Wilson gave in to their demands over the weekend and the delighted veterans sang the song in full voice at Monday’s Anzac service at Endeavour Hills.
News contacted Cr Wilson during the dispute. He said he had never intended to sour Anzac Day celebrations but believed God Save the Queen was a “relic of the past”.
“I’ve been working with the RSL so we can have a good Anzac Day. But I would think most kids in Endeavour Hills wouldn’t know God Save the Queen, and in a way it is a bit of a relic of past,” Cr Wilson said.
In a statement sent to Cr Wilson last week, the Dandenong RSL explained God Save the Queen’s significance to Anzac Day.
“It is the opinion of the state RSL branch and Dandenong RSL sub branch members that the singing of God Save the Queen as the royal hymn symbolises the significance of the hymn as a then national anthem, when veterans enlisted in both wars,” it read.
“Also, the motivation of service to king and queen and country that characterise these generations is embodied in the hymn.
“All understand that God Save the Queen still has great significance for many veterans and those attending. Those attending are asked to respect its inclusion in this context, and its historical importance.”
Casey mayor Colin Butler threw his support behind the Dandenong RSL and said councillors should not be ‘sticking their fists’ into functions RSL clubs choose to run.
God Save the Queen was dropped as Australia’s national anthem in 1984 by the Hawke Government after years of referendums and public opinion polls in favour of Advance Australia Fair.
God Save the Queen remains the Royal Anthem of Australia.