In the 100th year of the Royal Australian Air Force, ANZAC Day has special significance as 2021 sees the return of traditional commemorations that embrace COVID-safe planning.
Dawn services and other commemorations are planned Statewide with RSLWA once again promoting the Light Up The Dawn at home that was so successful during the height of the pandemic last ANZAC Day.
Whether you choose to commemorate at home, attend a socially distanced Dawn Service, watch the Perth ANZAC Day March on TV or attend our moving Commemorative Service at the Perth Concert Hall, there are numerous ways to pay respects to the men and women who have served, and still serve, the nation.
While traditional ANZAC Day services are making a return, Government COVID-19 restrictions are in play – meaning that pre-registration to the Kings Park Dawn Service is essential, with attendance limited to 10,000. Registration is free via the links on RSLWA’s website at www.rslwa.org.au.
For the Light Up The Dawn commemorations in driveways, on balconies or at the farm gate, ABC Radio Perth will broadcast a specially recorded Light Up The Dawn service including The Ode, the Last Post, the Minute’s Silence and Rouse. Radio 6IX will also have a special broadcast.
This year’s ANZAC Day theme is Flying Into a New Era: 100 Years of RAAF, a tip of the hat to those who served our Air Force so valiantly over the past century.
RSLWA CEO John McCourt, himself a RAAF veteran, explained its importance: “Since 1921, more than 11,000 Air Force members have lost their lives while serving Australia – 9870 during WWII.
“We honour their sacrifice and always remember that every one of them left behind a family and friends.”
WESTERN AUSTRALIANS HAVE A RANGE OF OPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO COMMEMORATING THIS ANZAC DAY – SUNDAY, 25 APRIL, 2021.
This year’s Perth ANZAC Day commemorations are:
- 6am: The Kings Park Dawn Service (restricted to 10,000 attendees, pre-registration essential via RSLWA website and masks encouraged)
- 6am: Light Up The Dawn, tune in via 720 ABC Radio Perth, or 6IX;
- 7-9am: The Gunfire Breakfast at Government House gardens;
- 9-10.30am: Veterans’ March through the CBD. This event will be broadcast live on ABC TV;
- 11am-noon: Commemorative Service at Perth Concert Hall. This is a free event but tickets are essential via the Perth Concert Hall website.
- Also from 7am: Fellowship at ANZAC House Veteran Central. An event for veterans and their families to socialise with their service buddies, via an enclosed, licensed area on Irwin St, or in-house lunch functions upstairs at 28 St Georges Terrace.
- NB: Please note, the traditional April 24 Sunset Service in Kings Park will not take place this year
For those who can’t get to the city but would still like to attend a traditional service, RSLWA’s website carries a full list of events in a suburb or town near you (https://www.rslwa.org.au/services/).
RSLWA encourages participants to take public transport to ANZAC Day events, with routes and timetables for the day available via Transperth’s website.
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Provided by: RSLWA www.rslwa.org.au