Congratulations to the committee who worked long and hard before Anzac Day on the display of World War One memorabilia in the Town Hall and who oversaw the decorations in the streets and on the bridge and to the people who knitted or crocheted the poppies. Many shops also decorated their windows for Anzac Day. Well done. In my own small way I contributed to the decorations as firstly I had to learn to crochet (thanks Dorothy) and then made 12 crocheted poppies. Other members of the Patchwork Group also made poppies.
We attended the service and the laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph on Anzac morning. It was good to see the large numbers attending. Apparently the Dawn Service was also very well attended. We went to BPACC in the afternoon to see ‘The Drums of Time’ written by Matt Scholten and performed by GRADA students. It was based on letters and stories of Benalla’s World War One soldiers and nurses along with war poetry. It was a theatrical tribute to the service and sacrifice of Benalla’s ANZACs and was specially created for the Benalla community. The stage was simply but very effectively decorated with strings of knitted poppies which were illuminated from above. These were made by members of the CWA.
As I crocheted the poppies I thought of all those who gave their lives in several wars and the women at home who knitted and baked for their men and the nurses who cared for them.
Judith