Silence falls with the rain as Murray Bridge pauses to remember
About 100 people have gathered for a short Remembrance Day service at Sturt Reserve in 2024.
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Silence has fallen on Sturt Reserve for a commemoration at the 11th hour of the 11th day of November: Remembrance Day.
Only the patter of raindrops could be heard for a time on Monday morning as about 100 people stood solemnly around Murray Bridge’s war memorial, in between the Last Post and the Reveille.
The silence spoke volumes, said Lutheran pastor Paul Calnan.
“Silence honours the lives of those lost, the wounds borne by veterans, and the heartache of families who have lost loved ones,” he said during the service.
“It’s a silence that’s filled with gratitude, remembrance and a commitment to carry forward the values for which (Australia’s servicemen and women) fought.”
In the 21st century, Remembrance Day needed to be about not just sorrow, but also a determination to work for peace in each of our lives and as a society, he suggested.
Greg O'Brien speaks at the service and Mick Loeckenhoff lays a wreath. Photos: Peri Strathearn.
A dozen community members laid wreaths at the foot of the glistening memorial: veterans, volunteers, civic leaders and their representatives.
The motions were familiar, but they were more than just a ritual, said the chair of the Murray Bridge Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital board, Greg O’Brien.
They were a reaffirmation of everyday Australians’ commitment to the values of courage, integrity, selflessness and respect.
Murray Bridge Community Concert Band played Advance Australia Fair to end the service, and the rain cleared away.
Afterwards, Mr O’Brien and RSL sub-branch president Rod Harris detoured to the hospital’s memorial gates for a moment of reflection before a shared lunch.
Remembrance Day this year marked the 106th anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended World War I.
