The Bawley Point community will lay the foundations for a new tradition when the first ever Anzac ceremony is held in the village this month.
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A group of residents from Bawley, Kioloa and Termeil are planning a full day of activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, including the unveiling of a memorial stone.
Representatives of more than 25 community groups will lay wreaths at a service to be held at the Kioloa Community Centre where new flags poles have also been erected ahead of the ceremony.
Florence Curtis and Rae Howard-Riley will have the honour of unveiling a commemorative stone in memory of their fathers who fought in World War I.
Mrs Howard-Riley will also sing both the Australian and New Zealand national anthems during the ceremony.
She said it was an honour to be taking part in the commemorations in memory of her father Guildford John Granger Howard who fought in the Australian Army’s First Battalion and was wounded at Lone Pine before becoming an officer and returning to the front three times.
Mrs Curtis said her father, John Henry Patton also fought in the first world war and was a farrier with the Light Horse Regiment.
He was injured when fighting scared a horse he was working with, leaving him blind for five days before he was shipped home to Australia.
Following the wreath laying ceremony and stone unveiling, a display of World War I memorabilia will be on show at the fire shed from 12 noon until 4pm, with items from the Tabourie Museum, as well as a collection of personal items, books, medals, maps and photographs on loan from local residents.
Kate Crellin has collected memorabilia and photos of her father Horace John Stone who fought in World War I alongside his two brothers, both of whom lost their lives in France.
The bodies of Robert Eagles Stone and Joseph Lawrence Stone were never found and their names appear on the Australian Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux.
The commemorations will continue into the evening, when a dinner dance, featuring the Pigeon House Jazz Band, is held at the community centre.
Local residents will dress for the occasion and enjoy a meal of digger stew with mashed peas and apple pie.
Helen Nelson was one of the instigators of the event and said the villages around Bawley Point were large enough to host their own Anzac ceremony, which she hoped would become an annual event.
“It will be a real community event for the local organisations and residents,” she said.
“It’s great for the older residents and families who don’t want to travel into Ulladulla on Anzac Day.
“We have about 25 community groups out here, including the Men’s Shed, Marine Rescue and Aboriginal representatives that will lay wreaths.
“It’s chance for our community to come together.”
Mrs Nelson said people were encouraged to come along and take part and enjoy a barbecue, a cup of tea and a Sao biscuit following the service.
“It will be a real family affair”.
The community has been holding fundraisers, including cake stalls, in the lead up to the event to purchase a memorial plaque which organisers hope will be approved for erection in time for the service.