Strong crowd gathers in Karratha to commemorate Anzac spirit

More than 1500 Karratha residents gathered at the Karratha Golf Club as the sun rose over Nickol Bay this morning to commemorate the Anzac spirit. The Anzac Day dawn service was an opportunity to pay respects to the Anzacs and all Australians and New Zealanders who have served in conflict. Many residents took the opportunity to commemorate in person and attend the service, unlike last year where Anzac Day services were cancelled because of COVID-19. Last year residents lined their driveways to pay their respects in an Anzac Day like no other, marking the first time since 1942 formal services had been cancelled. The strong Pilbara crowd came as services in the Perth and Peel region were this year cancelled again amid a COVID-19 lockdown. Karratha and Districts RSL president Noel Wright said he felt very privileged to be able to commemorate in person. “We need to keep that memory. We don’t want to remember war but we need to remember what it does to people. It takes away people’s lives, it affects whole countries, societies, civilisations,” he said. “Our ethos here at our local RSL is to keep it alive in children and we put a great focus on involving children. “Despite the fact that the new COVID scare in Perth and the general feeling of COVID around the world, I think we’ve got a fantastic turn out. Beautiful morning. Everyone’s having a fantastic time. March went really well and the service went really well. “You can see the amount of effort and organisation and man power that would have gone into organising the ones in Perth and only to be nipped in the bud at the last minute. Our heart really went out to those guys.” City of Karratha Mayor Peter Long said it was beautiful to see so many people attend. “It’s lovely to have it in person. I felt very, very sorry, a lot of people are very disappointed about what happened in Perth, particularly some of the old vets,” he said.