Spectators witness a

By Sarah Schwager
GATHERERS at Cranbourne’s Anzac Day memorial service yesterday were treated to a marvellous spectacle of bagpipers, regiments, planes, motorbikes and speeches.
The parade was applauded far and wide as the Cormac McCarthy Irish Pipe Band led those who had served in war and their families.
The parade stretched the length of High Street from the cenotaph as the light horse regiment, police, CFA, ambulance members, the Australian Air League, scouts and girl guides and the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club followed.
Particularly potent of the sentiment of the crowd was the speech by Lieutenant Commander Greg Crass from HMAS Cerberus, who reflected on Anzac Day 92 years ago and the impact it had had on Australia.
“On 25th April 1915, 16,000 New Zealanders and Australians surged ashore at the foot of rugged cliffs on the Dardanelles Peninsula in Turkey, to open a campaign intended to give allied shipping access to the Black Sea,” he said.
“It was, historians say, an ill-conceived campaign in pursuit of a vague objective, premised on an underestimation of the military prowess and character of the Turkish soldiers.
“But the achievements of the Anzacs were to be measured other than on the battlefield.
“By their commitment, their courage and their comradeship, the Anzacs set standards that inspired their countrymen for generations to come.
“The men and women who forged the Anzac spirit made sure that those who led them earned their respect. They all understood the values of independence, freedom and fairness and – above all – possessed a willingness to defend these things if need be.
“Because freedom only survives as long as people are willing to defend it.”