Cudgen Public School’s war memorial will be ship-shape and looking at it’s best for this year’s Anzac Day Dawn Service following a mini make-over.
Kingscliff RSL vice president Hugh Aitken said a team from Bunnings had come out to add some fresh paint, clean the paths and clean up the memorial plaque.
South Tweed Bunnings complex manager Wayne Thomas said it was Bunnings policy that every year staff went out into the local community and took on a project for Anzac Day, nominated by the local RSL branches.
This year Kingscliff sub-branch nominated the Cudgen Memorial which forms the front entrance of the local school flanked by the giant Norfolk pines planted in memory of the young men of the district lost in the Great War.
MC for the Dawn Service at Cudgen will again be Adam Mills (Ex WO1 Royal Australian Engineers) with the Guest Speaker Captain Simon Boxsell (Royal Australian Infantry) currently serving and working for Defence Recruiting at Coolangatta.
Kingscliff co-vice president Brian Vickery said Captain Boxsell was also key speaker at last year’s Vietnam Veteran’s Day.
Kingscliff High School will provide the guest speakers for the Kingscliff Dawn Service again MC’d by Brian Vickery.
“This service has been included to provide our ageing veterans with an alternative to the earlier starting time of the Cudgen Dawn Service,” he said
“Second World War veterans particularly requested this service. This will include a short march only.”
“The main march will have this year include six cars from the Tweed Valley car restorers club to transport less mobile veterans,” he said.
Cars will depart at 10.15am and main march will commence at 10.30am.
Kingsliff RSL are again hoping to sponsor a child/student to lead the march – last year it was Lucas Nouarc who was on holidays from Melbourne. This year it is hoped to be Tysen James Hughes, previously from Kingscliff now living in Melbourne
Speaker for the main service (beginning at 11am) will be Warren Campbell RAASC (retired) a national service officer.
A service will be held at Cabarita Sports Club at 8am on Sunday, April 22. This is held at the memorial between the rinks. Guest speaker is LCDR Scott Squires RAN.
The Tweedlesea Day Club at Cabarita (in the Cabarita Sports Club) will also hold at 11am on Monday, April 23.
On Friday, April 26 members of the Kingscliff RSL will attend an Anzac memorial service at Bogangar Primary School.
This year’s services across the Tweed Coast are expected to hold special significance as the first since the death of Kingscliff’s Sapper Rowan Robinson in Afghanistan mid way through 2011.
