Hundreds turn out to honour heroes

By Glen Atwell
AS the sun crept over the horizon to mark the dawn of Anzac Day at Cranbourne RSL last week, hundreds gathered to remember the efforts of Australian and New Zealand soldiers on the beaches of Gallipoli.
With the Australian flag at half-mast and a small speaker providing a rendition of The Last Post, about 200 people paused to pay tribute to those soldiers who returned, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Branch president Bill Shepherd spoke briefly about the significance of Anzac Day and acknowledged those who had braved the chilly conditions to attend the 5.45am service.
The Cranbourne Lions Club then cooked up a storm, providing a breakfast of bread, bacon, eggs, onion and sausages for the hungry crowd.
Those in attendance then moved inside for a warm drink and conversation.
President of the Cranbourne Lions, Diane Barker said the dawn service continued to surge in popularity.
“It was a great success and a great turn out,” she said.
“Our volunteers were there early and cooked for about 200 people. An event like a dawn service gives people a real sense of community belonging and our club is only too happy to support it.”
A full service and march was held at 10:30am at the Cenotaph, along High Street.