Sean Hefferon
THE 2025 Anzac Days services in Toodyay attracted large crowds that honoured Australian servicemen and women who served and continue to serve in conflict, peacekeeping missions and disaster relief.
At least 300 people attended what was a chilly Anzac Day dawn service to pay their respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Gathered at Toodyay’s Anzac Memorial Park, the solemn ceremony included the Roll of Honour read by Max Howard and Bob Wood with the Ode recited by Toodyay RSL President Geoff Brown.
The crowd stood united in silence and reflection as The Last Post was played – even the chattering of birds became muted.
After the minutes silence Monika Williams sang the New Zealand national anthem followed by Vicki Hagerty singing the Australian anthem.
As the service closed many in the crowd approached and stood silently at the Anzac War Memorial in a moment of private contemplation.
Many service attendees then headed to the Wicklow Shearing Shed for a traditional Gunfire breakfast.
A few hours later the Anzac Parade, that started at 10.30am from outside Memorial Hall, saw marchers accompanied by an ever-growing crowd of people, as all made their way to the Main Service at Anzac Memorial Park.
The service commencing at 10.45am included a flyover from a Royal Australian Air Force jet.
In a particularly poignant moment in the service Toodyay resident Garry Nelmes shared his family story about the Anzac experience.
Garry is the grandson of WW1 Anzac George John McLennan and the son of a WWII Anzac Noel Standley Nelmes.
“Today I will be sharing for the first time information from my grandfather’s journal of his battle experiences on the western front during WWI and in particular one of the many battles to capture the strategic village of Passchendaele in Belgium.
I am doing so to honour his memory.
George John McLennan was born in 1888 and enlisted on the 30th of August 1916 and was assigned to the 5th reinforcement 36th battalion Australian Imperial Force.
Passchendaele, over a 5-month period saw both sides experience some of the most horrific fighting in WWI with total losses estimated at half a million soldiers.
Australian casualties numbered 38,000.
What a glorious sunny day it is today, now imagine it’s the early hours of the 12th of October 1917 on the western front in Belgium, its late autumn its freezing cold and it’s raining and you can barely walk in the thick mud and the 36th battalion is preparing for a 2nd assault on the village of Passchendaele.
This was hoped to be the final assault on the village of Passchendaele, however it resulted in a withdrawal and it wasn’t until the third assault that the Germans were pushed back.
Thus the 2nd battle for Passchendaele was over and amongst the troops it was renamed ‘Slaughter’.
George has been badly wounded in the battle and was thought to be dead, but a fellow soldier thought otherwise and ventured back onto the battlefield and dragged my grandfather to safety, and this is the only reason I am standing here today.
My grandfather did partially recover from his (GSW) gunshot wound and shrapnel wounds and returned home to Australia and was discharged in august 1919.
I am sure he suffered mental scars and as a lad of 12 years of age, I do remember well seeing the physical scars as my mother, his daughter dressed his wounds daily from shrapnel imbedded in his legs, shrapnel that could not be removed and pain he endured till his death in 1967.
The twist to this story is that the soldier (fellow ANZAC) that saved his life unbeknown to my grandfather was a farmer from New South Wales and lived near the small community of Wallabadah some 200km from where my grandfather lived but only 10km from where I was born and grew up.
My grandfather never forgot this soldier’s bravery who saved his life and for decades endeavoured to locate him but records were difficult to locate and much was lost in the fog of war.
Once my grandfather finally found out his location, he promptly visited Wallabadah to thank this Anzac for saving his life but sadly this soldier had passed away.
My grandfather did visit his grave to pay his respect and thanks for rescuing him from the battlefield.
This ladies and gentlemen is the true meaning of the Anzac spirit and mateship.
Lest we forget.”
Their assistance in, for example, cataloguing auction items, laying out the oval and unloading items was appreciated.
It was signed by a geologist and written to comply with a legal requirement, under the Mining Act, to inform landowners about exploration plans that affected their land.