Residents of a close-knit neighbourhood in Salamander Bay are refusing to let the coronavirus pandemic bring an end to a century-long tradition of observing Anzac Day.
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Despite all Anzac Day services and events in NSW being cancelled this year due to restrictions around gatherings to stop the spread of COVID-19, residents of Albatross Avenue plan to stand at the end of their driveways as dawn breaks on April 25 and pay their respects to those who have fought and died for Australia.
"We can't go down to the [Nelson Bay] Dawn Service like many of us usually do each year but I still really wanted to do something out of respect," said Francis Reader, the resident who is spearheading the special event.
Mr Reader dropped a leaflet in the letterboxes of the 40-odd houses in the neighbourhood located near Salamander Bay Recycling asking residents to stand at the end of their driveways at 6am on Anzac Day - Saturday, April 25.
He will have a light-up kangaroo and Kiwi, which happen to be Christmas decorations, on display in the front yard of his home.
Mr Reader will then play a recording of the Last Post at 6am and is encouraging the neighborhood to observe a minute's silence. However, he was hopeful of finding a local bugler who could play the Last Post live.
"So long as we're standing on our own properties, 1.5m apart we're not breaking any rules but we're still able to mark Anzac Day," Mr Reader said.
Maxine Williams, who lives two houses down from Mr Reader, said the Anzac Day event was a "lovely idea" and would be participating.
She believed many of her neighbours would also participate.
"It's a friendly neighbourhood," she said. "We usually have a little Christmas party in the street so I think most of us will take part on Anzac Day. It's a very thoughtful gesture."
Anzac Day is traditionally one of the Port's biggest events of the year, drawing thousands of people to parks and war memorials to pay their respects to those who have fought and died for their communities.
The day is one of Australia's most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) during World War I.
During the 1920s Anzac Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the more than 60,000 Australians who had died during the war.
In 1927, for the first time, every state observed some form of public holiday on Anzac Day.
By the mid-1930s all the rituals now associated with the day - dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games - were firmly established as part of Anzac Day culture.
Later, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died during WWII.
In subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include those who lost their lives in all the military and peacekeeping operations in which Australia has been involved.
In response to the widespread Anzac Day cancellations, a number of Facebook groups have been established encouraging residents to stand at the end of their driveways on April 25.
One of the popular Facebook pages, Anzac Day Driveway Tribute Australia, which has attracted more than 3000 members, proposes "everyone goes to the end of their driveway of 5.55am on Anzac Day and have the nation line its streets everywhere and share a minute silence".
Is your neighbourhood planning to mark Anzac Day in some way? Are you doing anything special to observe the day? Let us know. Send the Examiner a Facebook message or email emwatts@portstephensexaminer.com.au.