Orange's historic Anzac Day Dawn Service attended by big crowd

Hundreds of people packed Robertson Park for the first Orange Dawn Service to be held in light.

The start was delayed by an hour from the normal 5.30am start, officially to allow people to register their COVID QR codes.

It was the first Anzac Day public service since 2019 as last year's commemoration was cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Orange people made it clear by their numbers how important the annual service is on their calendars.

City of Orange RSL sub-branch president Chris Colvin said he was stunned by the crowd turn out.

"I am amazed at the amount of people here this morning," he said.

"It's incredible. I could not believe the numbers.

"All I could see was a sea of people. I don't know what the official numbers were."

Mr Colvin said he hoped the Dawn Service could return its normal pre-dawn start time next year.

"We did it because we had to," he said of the changed service and march times.

The day began with veterans and serving personnel meeting outside the Orange Ex-Services' Club to march to the park from 6.15am.

The official party marched down Byng Street behind a police escort before arriving at Robertson Park to take up positions for the services.

Prayers, hymns, poems and the national anthems of New Zealand and Australia were greeted by a chorus of awakening birds in the park.

After the service veterans, serving personnel and their families headed to a breakfast at the Ex-Services' Club in preparation for later events.

Mr Colvin said the requirements of the coronavirus restrictions had led organisers to cancel several normal events on the day.

That included services at the Lone Pine tree on Lone Pine Avenue, the cemetery and the crematorium.

Even Orange's weather played its part for the service.

After forecasts of sub-zero freezing temperatures it was actually about 5.2 degrees at 6.30am when the service started, and importantly there was little wind.

The apparent, or feels-like, temperature was minus 0.6 degrees.

At last Tuesday's Orange City Council meeting mayor Cr Reg Kidd said about 700 of the available 5000 tickets for the Dawn Service had been booked.

Councillors urged people to register and attend to show their support for the armed forces and veterans who had served their country.

Judging by the size of the crowd Orange listened to that request and responded in numbers.

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