ANZAC DAY.

Shannon News, 26 April 1927, Page 3

ANZAC DAY.

COMMEMORATED IN SHANNON.

To fittingly commemorate Anzac Day a memorial service was held at th>. Cenotaph, Plimmer Terrace, yesterday morning, in the presence of a large gathering of the puhlic. Prior to the service, the school children in charge of their teachers and the chairman of the School Committee, together with returned soldiers • and a number of South African war veterans assembled at the school, and headed by the Levin Band, marched through the township .to the Cenotaph. •The service- opened with the hymn, •‘O God our Help in Ages Past," after‘which a prayer and the Lord’s prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr Farnell. was followed by all oresent singing the hymn, "The Nameless Graves. " After a scriptural reading by Mr A. T.. White, the Recessional "God of Our Fathers” was sung. Rev. Mr Williamson then delivered an address, taking his text from the third chapter of Revelations: "Be thou watchful and stablish the things that remain, which were ready to die for I have found no works of thine fulfill: ed before my God.” Rev. Mr Williamson stated Anzac Day had been set aside as a day to commemorate the heroic landing at Gallipoli of the first troops from Australia and New Zealand. The word Anzac was a-composite word meaning Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. The word would ever be held sacred in our history an-1 by the youth in our Dominion, telling of a priceless heritage won fof. them. "They went with song to the battle. They were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end, against odds uncounted. They^fell with their faces to the foe. 1

They shall not grow old As we that are left grow old. Age snail not weary them, Nor the years condemn, At the going down, of the sun And in the morning We shall- remember them.

- "They were the finest body of young men said John Masefield, ever brought together in modern times for physical beauty and nobility of bearing. They surpassed any body of men I have ever seen. They walke d and looked like the Kings of old poems. ” ; No event so great in sacrifice in our national'life could pass without leaving its 1 indelible mark upon the mind of the people, nor without teaching and impressing upon our generation some valuable les3oiis. First: Devotion to duty; where duty called or danger be never wanting there. The. call may not be to the field of battle. Let us hope and pray that it may not be, but in the ordinary bivouac of life. Ihe call to duty might be in the ordinary civil life of each man and woman There w,as an imperative call to duty and faithful doing. On the football' or any field of play the. "off-side plaver was no help to his team. Kun the'race that, is set before you, looking unto Jesus.” "Stablish the things that remain. ’ ’ There were some things that f hould : not remain that were a drag upon our national life. We were told to be watchful and strengthen the things that remain. Referring to the spirit of brotherhood, racial problems, the impact of East and West, the futility of building up armaments. Lord Bryce had said and said wiselj, that it war was not destroyed, it would destrov us. He pointed out the need of religion, stating that to destroy .then-1 logy they destroyed charity. "We have spoken of sacrifice as we have seen it expressed in the heroes of said the preacher, and in conclusion he asked those present to think of the sacrifice of God when he yielded up his Son for the redemption pf this world. A number of beautiful wreaths anu flowers were then laid oh the cenotaph as a tribute to those who died-fighting for the welfare of the nation, during which the Levin Band played the Garland of Flowers.” The Benediction Uv the Rev. Mr Farnell followed anu a* memorable service was brought to a conclusion by the singing of the M tional Anthem and the sounding cf the •‘Last Post” by Bandmaster Lester. • During the service Mr Howard Andrew conducted the singing this being led bv the Levin Band. / At the conclusion of the service tm Mavor (Mr E. Butt) thanked all thos. i w ho had assisted particularly the mem hers of the Levin Band.