ANZAC Day 2026 and we were blessed by the weather as Rotary Club Tamworth West again welcomed over 300 attendees to our Gipps St Memorial ANZAC Day Service at 7am this morning.The Service was led by our Club President Scott Edwards and supported by:

. Retired Major Wayne Clarke of the Hunter River Lancers – The ANZAC Day Speech recounting the many wars and battles that Australian soldiers, air crew and naval members had served all around the world over 130 years, before and after Federation;

. Reverend Gus Batley – Prayers and Benediction;

. Max Ellicot – Vocalist leading our attendees in song;

. The Hon Kevin Anderson MP – Brief ANZAC Day Address;

. Tamworth Brass Band – Music, Last Post and Reveille.

. An array of community organisations laying wreaths.

. Tamworth High School - laid a wreath and assisted in the tea, coffee and ANZAC biscuits.

We even had our own flyover at the end from a flock of formation Ibis and some pelicans .

For those who were after something more filling than tea, coffee and biscuits at the conclusion of the service Bacon and Egg Rolls were also served down at the Family Hotel which helped to raise over $120 for the Rotary Foundation.

A special thanks to Jemma and The Family Hotel, who in addition to the breakfast, also supplied all the chairs for the event.

A huge acknowledgement and thanks to our Rotarian Members and support:

. Peter Dillon and Kevin Craggs who in conjunction with President Scott Edwards did a wonderful job of organising the service again this year;

. To Brian Cox from Rentfast who ensured the sound and acoustics were spot on; and

. To Jim Booth and Jace Hindmarsh for the wonderful array of photos from the event.

Thank you fellows.

And finally thank you to all those in the community who attended and to reflect on this important day of remembrance.

Lest We Forget