Usually, Sarah participates in the Nelson Bay march representing her school. This year, she has been making lanterns to place at the end of every driveway in her street. The effect when the sun rises should be startling.
Sarah, 11, has been collecting milk bottles for the past few weeks. She has cut them, and painted poppies and crosses on them with the words “Lest We Forget”. Inside the bottles are sand and candles, which will be lit at 5.30am on Anzac Day.
She has made enough lanterns to ensure every house in her street has two at the end of their driveway. Her motivation for creating the lanterns was to remember all those who served our country.
“We are not really allowed to go anywhere,” Sarah told the Port Stephens Examiner. “This means a lot of important things have been cancelled. One very important thing is our Anzac Day service. We still want to remember everybody who served.”
RSL NSW and the Department of Defence have invited all Australians and New Zealanders to stand at the end of their driveways (or balconies or living rooms) at dawn to commemorate 25 April together from afar.
Suggestions include holding a lit candle in the darkness, playing a recording of the Last Post, or streaming the Dawn Service from Canberra.
The Dawn Service will still occur at the Australian War Memorial involving a revised ceremony with no veterans’ march and no members of the public present.
The service in Canberra will be broadcast on the ABC — on television, the ABC Australia Facebook page and also on the ABC Australia YouTube channel — from 5am on Saturday morning.
#StandAtDawn and #LightUpTheDawn are hashtags to follow, to see how people are commemorating this important day.