In the lead up to Anzac Day, Member for Watson Tony Burke presented The Lakemba Club with a new commemorative plaque to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service during the wars.
“In World War One, like so many of the conflicts that followed, locals who lost their lives in conflict were buried in the field. These memorials were the only dedicated sites where family members and loved ones could leave flowers, reflect and pray. They hold a special place in the nation’s memory and every generation needs to treat them with special care,” said Tony Burke.
The plaque was gratefully received by the Board of the Lakemba Sub-Branch who are in the midst of preparations for their Anzac Day Service which will be held at The Lakemba Club on Saturday 25 April at 7am. The service will begin with a march from the club to the Cenotaph in Lakemba before adjourning back to the club for morning breakfast.
The Lakemba Club’s parent club, Canterbury League Club, will also play a special role at this year’s Martin Place Dawn Service. Canterbury was approached by the Dawn Service Trust, which operates out of The Lakemba Club, to produce the programs that will be handed out at the service. The club has edited, designed, produced and printed this year’s official program and the club has ordered 20,000 copies which will be distributed at the dawn service.
“The Lakemba Club is one of the founding clubs involved with the running of the Dawn Service, so we thought it would be an appropriate project to show our support for Anzac Day and the men and women who fought for our country. We had several meetings with the Dawn Service Trust to discuss the program – they had some specific guidelines keeping in line with the solemnness of the occasion and we took that on board when it came to the design process. Major Gen Gordon Maitland provided the content and it went from there,” says Dr Peponis.
