Locals participate in major landing at Gallipoli centenary celebrations

  • 2015-02-06
Residents from throughout the City of Moonee Valley, including Essendon in Victoria, have joined forces with the council to make this year’s Anzac Day centenary an event to remember.

Moonee Valley’s mayor, Cr Narelle Sharpe, said the newly formed group consisted of representatives from Keilor East and Essendon RSLs, the 38th and 58th Battalion, Essendon Historical Society, St. Thomas’ Anglican Church, Bendigo Bank, interested residents and the Citizen of the Year.

Councillors Jan Chantry and Jim Cusack, who originally suggested the idea, will be working closely with the group.

While Anzac Day was always an important date on the community’s calendar, the mayor said celebrating its centenary was an extra special event that deserved to be commemorated and celebrated by all communities across Australia.

Many important and interesting events had already been organised by the group, according to Cr Chantry, who said celebrations would be stretched over the full year of 2015 as well as on the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing on Anzac Day.

She added that anniversary celebrations were also aimed at providing opportunities for locals to acknowledge not only the area’s soldiers from the First World War, but also their families.

Cr Chantry said events – the details of which will be the subject of council flyer printing campaigns and also listed on the council’s website – would include special Anzac Day music concerts, exhibitions, author talks and displays.