A poignant remembrance service has been planned for Civic Park on Sunday, which will serve as a fitting end to Newcastle’s Centenary of Anzac commemorations.
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City of Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch will unveil the new Eternal Flame of Remembrance memorial in the park on November 11, which is Remembrance Day and the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.
“Anzac Day is traditionally our day in Australia and New Zealand but if go to the UK, Remembrance Day is as big as our Anzac Day,” City of Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch president Ken Fayle said.
“I think more people are understanding the relevance of Remembrance Day.
“This year, Remembrance Day is especially important. It marks the centenary of the armistice, which was the last thing that happened in the war. It’s a day that’s important to a lot of people.”
About 2000 people turned out to last year’s Remembrance Day service in Civic Park.
Mr Fayle, who will emcee Sunday’s service, said he hoped to see just as many or, if not, more, this year.
“We’d love to see a really big crowd,” he said.
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The ceremony will begin at 10.30am when the new eternal flame monument installed by City of Newcastle council will be lit.
The service will begin shortly after. A minute of silence will be observed at 11am. A special service will be held in Newcastle’s Christ Church Cathedral at 6pm.
“That’s very important,” Mr Fayle said. “That closes down the Centenary of Anzac services in Newcastle.”
Remembrance Day services will be held in parks and at war memorials right across the Hunter and Lake Macquarie on Sunday.
The Newcastle Bugle Corps will be busy on November 11, with many of its buglers attending services to provide a live musician to play the Last Post, the Rouse or Reveille.
“We’ll have buglers in Redhead, Cardiff, Waratah, right across Newcastle,” Major David Thompson said.
The Australian Army Band Newcastle major spends his free time instructing buglers in the corps like 17 year old Blaine Stubbs.
Mr Stubbs, who plays the trumpet primarily, joined the corps eight months ago wanting to expand his instrument repertoire to bugle.
The teen will be bugling in Stockton on Sunday.
Last Friday the pair of buglers provided their services for the 2018 Poppy Appeal launch on Newcastle’s Memorial Walk.
“We have 10 buglers in the corps at the moment,” Major Thompson said. “The aim is to grow each year, try and encourage young people to join, and provide our services to more ceremonies and events in the future.”