By ALENA HIGGINS
AS THE Town Hall clock struck 11 and the Last Post echoed across Leslie Park, hundreds bowed their heads and paused for a minute’s silence to honour those who served.
The Remembrance Day Service at Warwick was one of many held across the district on Tuesday to mark the 96th anniversary of the end of the Great War.
Once a celebratory occasion, 11am on the 11th day of the 11 month, being the time the armistice came into effect, has come to herald a more sombre tone, Warwick RSL Sub-Branch president John Skinner told those in attendance.
He said Armistice Day turned into Remembrance Day just as the Great War became known as WWI with the bloody onset of WWII.
Now, Remembrance Day is a time to commemorate all the men and women who fought in wars and those who continue to fight for our freedom, he said.
In his address, Mark Saunders of the 11th Light Horse Warwick Montrose Troop reflected on the 103,000 lives lost and the 226,000 wounded in battle since the Great War began.
He said it was not only Diggers who suffered and sacrificed but also their families “who prayed their loved ones would return alive, uninjured and without mental scars”.
Reverend Kevin Stow gave the opening prayer and urged the crowd never to forget the “astronomical cost” and sacrifice made to uphold the liberties and way of life we take for granted.
A number of school representatives joined returned veterans, family members and local dignitaries to lay wreaths and pay their respects.
Warwick Christian College students recited a poem, In Flanders Fields, while Warwick West State School student Lachlan Jones delivered a stirring rendition of the Pledge of Remembrance.
Mr Skinner thanked the strong police presence which was dotted around the permitter of the park, a sign of unpredictable times.
The RSL sub-branch president said he was buoyed to see so many people in attendance.
“It’s the best turn out in 30 years.”
