Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews, has urged residents to commemorate ANZAC Day while adhering to strict social distancing principles.
Although formal celebrations have been cancelled, Cr Matthews said remembering our fallen and paying our respects “still holds the same value”.
“We, as a community, are functioning quite differently at present,” Cr Matthews said.
“Whilst how we remember and pay respect to our fallen soldiers has been impacted, our want to acknowledge and commemorate our heroes remains the same.
“The Australian way is to band together and support one another through a crisis.
“The significance of ANZAC Day and the sacrifices made allows for a time of reflection and puts things into perspective.”
Cr Matthews said there were many ways that residents could acknowledge the day despite social restrictions.
“Physical gathering restrictions should not halt people from remembering our fallen heroes,” she said.
“I encourage the community to take pause in their own homes with a minute’s silence.
“You can light a candle and stand in your driveway at 6am for a combined dawn service with your neighbours, view the ANZAC Day national dawn services live on ABC, or take part in an online gathering,” she said.
Council is taking a precautionary approach and commemorating ANZAC Day with councillors privately laying wreaths at various memorial sites across the Coast in a mark of respect.
“Council has installed poppy nets on the stairways at Memorial Park Gosford where walkers, maintaining physical distancing, can take a stroll and view the installation,” Cr Matthews said.
“Also available are free online library resources specifically for commemorating ANZAC Day.
“The quality of ANZAC Day is the camaraderie that it brings out in Australians, a quality that we, as a community, can apply in the way we look out for each other at this difficult time.”
Source:
Media release, Apr 20
Central Coast Mayor, Lisa Matthews