Here the members of the Catafalque Party from 5 Combat Engineer Regiment had fallen in around the statue for the ceremony, with president of the Bombala RSL Sub-Branch, Rob Letts leading the service, while Fr Frank Fuschs blessed the Anzac gathering.

The brief yet moving Dawn Service witnessed the traditional two-minute silence followed by Reveille at its conclusion, with the bulk of the crowd then moving onto the Bombala RSL Club to share in a freshly cooked breakfast.

Here our returned servicemen had opportunity to reflect amongst themselves on the meaning of the day and spend some social time with the community on this very special occasion, with our Diggers assembling later in the morning to take part in the Anzac March.

It was this Anzac Commemoration and March which most members of the community chose to observe last Friday, with crowd numbers approaching the 400 mark as they gathered once again at the Bombala Cenotaph where the Catafalque Party had already taken stance.

Before too long the Anzac March itself made its way into Maybe Street, with a hush falling over the crowd as our servicemen and women and family representatives, proudly marched down the main street, creating a striking image as they continued.

As the Diggers approached the Cenotaph, however, the silence was broken with a loud round of applause form the watching crowd, with the sincere gesture of respect and admiration continuing until the group had fallen in alongside the statue.

Also making the Anzac March down Maybe Street were student and staff representatives from our local schools, with Bombala High, Bombala Public, St Joseph's Primary, and the Ando and Bibbenluke Public Schools each being present.

They too fell in around the Cenotaph, making a large assembly before the statue, with Mr Letts once again taking the podium to lead the commemoration, introducing himself and recognising the work of previous Sub-Branch president, Max Welch.

Welcoming the crowd and explaining that the ceremony would follow the Order of Service which had been distributed, Mr Letts then introduced Reverend Peter Llewellyn to bless the assembly, with this being followed by the traditional Laying of Wreaths.

Serving as a visual reminder of the thoughts and prayers of our community in Bombala towards those who have contributed to ensuring that we live in a free society, this presentation of wreaths was a lengthy one, with many stepping forward.

Of course those presenting wreaths included the RSL Sub-Branch itself, as well as groups such as Legacy, Red Cross and the Bombala Council, but there was also great pleasure in seeing so many individual families coming forward with their wreaths.

It was following this Laying of Wreaths that Mr Letts delivered the Prologue of the ceremony, speaking first on the 2000 or so young Australian sailors, soldiers and airmen who are currently deployed in active service.

Reminding the crowd that these brave souls are all following the proud Australian traditions that were being commemorated on the day, Mr Letts then stressed that Anzac Day is not a glorification of war, rather an opportunity for us to reflect on our growth as a nation.

Describing Australia's involvement in several conflicts over the years and emphasising that we must not only remember those who died in National Service, but also those who returned, Mr Letts then led into the first hymn of the ceremony, with the Recessional being sung.

Digger Tony Garnock was then invited to the podium to offer the Prayer of Thanksgiving, while Digger Ralph Sims offered the prayer for the Queen, and finally the Prayer for the Nation was delivered by Digger Bob Day.

In a moment many had been anticipating due to previous speeches made by the Bombala High School, president of the school, Tara Goldberg then took the podium to make the Commemorative Address of the ceremony, beginning with an explanation of what Anzac Day actually is.

"We say we give thanks on this day, but it is not to be taken lightly or flippantly, it is said with all truth and honesty," she said. "If it weren't for our servicemen and women of past and present, our country would not be as we know it today."

Ms Goldberg went on to outline some of the extraordinary efforts Australians have gone to in war, how it has affected their lives as well as all others in the country, and finally of those who we wish to see return home soon from current conflicts.

At the conclusion of this Commemorative Address, Mr Letts invited Peter Llewellyn to the podium once more to make the Commemoration of the Fallen, pausing first to mourn the passing of local Digger Geoff Cottle who had died just a few days prior.

With this the parade was brought to attention and the Catafalque Party presented arms for the playing of the Last Post by local bugler, John Judge, with the observance of a two minutes silence for the fallen bringing a hush over the crowd.

This was broken by The Ode recited by Sub-Branch vice president, Jim Longden and the playing of Reveille once again by Mr Judge, with traditional hymn, Abide by Me being sung by the entire audience of the ceremony.

This brought the Commemoration near to its conclusion, with Mr Letts making a series of acknowledgments to those who were involved in the preparations for the day, as well as to those who participated in the service.

He then introduced the Rotary Choir, conducted by Claus Zimmer, who sang a very stirring rendition of the National Anthem to conclude proceedings, with all then disassembling to pursue the various other activities arranged for Anzac Day in Bombala.