A small group of travellers woke on Anzac Day to the poignant sound of bugle calls drifting across the water at Lara Wetlands, south of Barcaldine.
As the Last Post and Reveille mixed in with the sound of bird calls, the caretaker of the environmental wetland retreat, Lynn Ryan offered a reflection on the sacrifices made to allow them to greet the tranquil dawn.
He highlighted the battles at Gallipoli, the first that Australia had participated in as an independent nation, which, while incurring heavy losses, cemented a proud reputation for tenacity, courage, resourcefulness and above all, loyalty.
While Lynn, whose regular home is at Peachester, has “lived his father’s war through his nightmares”, he has always wanted to acknowledge the service of the Diggers.
“I’ve attended a few dawn services before – we even took the kids to the service at the eternal flame in Brisbane one year,” he said. “As well as my father serving in New Guinea and Borneo, I had a grandfather at Gallipoli, and I thought this would be the perfect spot to remember them at.”
Others agreed, with around a dozen people watching the Southern Cross gradually disappear and the sun take its place as the Australian flag was raised over the quiet lake.
“I had a good response from people when I went round and told them what I was planning,” Lynn said. “They were all excited to think we were doing it.”
Lara resident, Kev Keiler, and property owner, Jo Jarden, joined the travellers, with Kev saying he saw Anzac Day as a remembrance of the men who thought they’d have an adventure and instead “waltzed straight into horror”.
“My ethos is that we need to uphold what they fought for, our freedom,” said Kev.
“It brings out my realisation that I like being an Australian. I owe that to those guys.”
When Jo set up the wetlands bush camp a few years ago, she hoped it would be recognised as a retreat for veterans and ex-servicemen as well as regular travellers.
Wednesday’s dawn service may have set the trend for that to happen.