![The catafalque party from HMAS Creswell stood at watch during the Anzac Day service in Moruya. The catafalque party from HMAS Creswell stood at watch during the Anzac Day service in Moruya.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/204165555/1676b238-ed17-449f-84a9-1af509590546.JPG/r0_0_6016_3997_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
On April 25, Vulcan Street in Moruya was alive with hundreds of people paying tribute to service men and women who have fought and continue to serve their country.
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The Anzac march began as the Moruya and District Brass Band started their performance which created a reverential atmosphere.
Former service men led the parade, flying the flag for the Returned and Services League sub-branch in Moruya.
There was also a nod to frontline workers, with the Moruya Bushfire Brigade vehicle leading the procession.
'For love of country, friends, family and a willingness to bear terrible suffering'
The Anzac procession travelled along Vulcan Street towards the RSL Memorial Hall, where wreaths were laid at the memorial by MP Dr Michael Holland, the Country Women's Association, the Eurobodalla Shire Council, the 222 Army Cadet Unit and local schools.
Brigadier Sue Melotte addressed the crowd, asking them to remember and respect the fallen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soldiers that fought for Australia.
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"These men fought for a nation that did not even fully recognise their rights as a human being let alone citizens, yet their love of land and country preceded any flag or crown," she said.
![Brigadier Sue Melotte spoke at the Moruya Anzac Day service on April 25. Brigadier Sue Melotte spoke at the Moruya Anzac Day service on April 25.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/204165555/96f18e78-cc50-423c-a381-edd6456e1513.JPG/r0_0_6016_3997_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ms Melotte recalled the war efforts of Captain Reginald 'Reg' Saunders who was the first Aboriginal Australian to become an officer in the Australian army.
"White men would take orders from Reg, an Aboriginal man.
"All these men were pioneers and role models, but inside the armed forces, men were judged on merit, not by the colour of their skin."
Ms Melotte reminded the crowd to be grateful to those who have sacrificed for us: "[Anzac] is a moral tale about the qualities that no single race of people may lay exclusive claim to. For love of country, love for friends, family and a willingness to bear terrible suffering to protect what we love."
100 years of remembrance
More than 100 years ago, ex-servicemen and members of the Bergalia Rifle Club approached the Australian War Memorial museum with intention to build a war memorial in Bergalia.
On Anzac Day in 2023, the First and Second World Wars Memorial on Bergalia Link Road was acknowledged as a 100-year-old memorial that has commemorated local ex-service men and women.
![The Bergalia First and Second World Wars memorial was originally built in 1923 and this year celebrated its centenary. The Bergalia First and Second World Wars memorial was originally built in 1923 and this year celebrated its centenary.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/204165555/ee17655c-16ba-485c-b7d1-69e77e1cadc7.JPG/r0_0_4512_2998_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The land on which the memorial was erected was donated by the Greig family, who lost three family members in the two World Wars.
The 9am service drew more than 50 people from Bergalia, Moruya and surrounds to commemorate fallen soldiers.
The small crowd turned to face the rising sun as the Last Post was sounded and The Ode read aloud.