First Dawn Service

By Bridget Brady
PEARCEDALE residents are gearing up for what is believed to be the town’s first Dawn Service on Anzac Day this weekend.
The Pearcedale Public Hall Association is hoping to rekindle the Anzac spirit by hosting the Dawn Service, and eventually establishing a memorial site at the hall grounds.
There was an RSL sub-branch in Pearcedale in the 1950s, but Ms Smollen said it was unclear if a Dawn Service was ever held.
The hall association put the call out for names of soldiers from the Pearcedale area who enlisted in any war, and Ms Smollen said she was pleased with the response and would have to “plant a forest” to fit all of the plaques with names on trees as they planned.
Ms Smollen said members of the association now thought they would try to raise money to create an honour board inside the hall.
She hoped Pearcedale residents, who would otherwise travel to Cranbourne for an Anzac Day service, would embrace this weekend’s Dawn Service in their town.
“I think it’s more important to stay in your own area,” Ms Smollen said.
“The Dawn Service to me is very appropriate because of the way the war happened. I’m really looking forward to it because our Remembrance Day is getting so much community support,” Ms Smollen said.
The service will be held on Sunday 25 April from 6am at the Pearcedale Public Hall at the cenotaph site, at the corner of Queens and Pearcedale roads.