The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has praised RSLs across the region for the care, respect, and hard work they put into honouring our fallen, year after year on Anzac Day.
“Our local RSLs have done a fantastic job once again this Anzac Day, ensuring that those who served our country are respected and commemorated at incredible services right across the region,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Anzac Day is a special day in our calendar, with many of our local towns having large veteran populations, dedicated memorials and cenotaphs, and a deep respect for our military history.
“The services held this year were a testament to this respect, and I want to thank our RSLs and all who attended for putting on incredible events.”
Ms Cleeland spoke at the dawn service in Benalla before participating at services in Violet Town and Euroa later in the day, as well as a service on the 24th at St Patrick’s Primary School in Kilmore.
“Today, at services in Benalla, Euroa, and Violet Town, I spoke of men like Weary Dunlop, Hec Waller, the Stevenson brothers, and Victoria Cross recipients Leslie Maygar, Frederick Tubb, and Alex Burton,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Their stories remind us that the ANZAC spirit wasn’t just forged on distant battlefields – it was nurtured here, in country towns, in families like yours and mine.
“They showed us that heroism doesn’t require fame or fortune. It requires courage, conviction, and heart.”
Ms Cleeland also thanked last year’s Kokoda Scholarship recipients, Amber McNally and Chloe Butterworth, for speaking on her behalf at Murchison and Seymour respectively – as well as this year’s scholarship recipients, Flynn Mosley and Felix Wallace- Muscovich, for reading poems on her behalf at Benalla and Avenel.
“Each year it is such a privilege to speak at these services, meeting with our veterans and families of fallen soldiers,” Ms Cleeland said.
“As Australians, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to our veterans and to those currently serving.
“Their sacrifices have secured the freedoms and peace we often take for granted.”
