Riders to the fore in country tributes
When the sun rises at Yeerakine Rock on Anzac Day, the figure of a horseman will rear up out of the darkness, evoking the memory of the young locals who joined the 10th Light Horse Regiment all those years ago.
In the small crowd will be John Browning and his extended family, descendants of Charles John Browning, a young farmer who fought and survived some of World War I's fiercest battles.
As the light floods over the farming plains below, they will remember the ultimate sacrifice of his cousin Bernard Browning and give thanks for Charles' return, albeit badly wounded, to continue his life in WA.
ANZAC CENTENARY MAGAZINE: Your complete guide to events and RSL commemorative services |
Many lines of his family, including his great-great-grandchildren, are still dotted on farms all around Kondinin.
The horseman statue, paid for in part by more than $1000 from community fundraising, will be unveiled at the dawn service next weekend - a special tribute to mark the Anzac centenary.
While many eyes will be on the anticipated huge crowds at Gallipoli, Kings Park and the Australian War Memorial, branches of the Returned and Services League in dozens of small towns and city suburbs are also preparing for an influx of people.
In Capel, the RSL is planning its first dawn service; a moving ceremony on Peppermint Grove beach symbolising the beach landing at Gallipoli.
From there, a parade of people on horseback will march out, honouring the WA-raised 10th Light Horse Regiment.
Vice-president Alan Kelly-Parker said that it seemed appropriate to plan the inaugural service in recognition of the centenary. Many soldiers went from Capel to the war.
"We have a fantastic spot down there, with a sandy dune looking down over where we will have the service and over the ocean, so we'll have a piper playing as the sun rises," he said.
The locals had "really embraced it" and about 200 were expected at the dawn service, with the crowd likely to swell to closer to 700 for the march later on.
Other RSL branches, including Pinjarra, Dawesville and Mt Hawthorn, will have services featuring hundreds of white crosses as a stark representation of the soldiers killed. In Rockingham, parachutists will drop in on the parade and young locals in military uniforms will narrate accounts from the war.
In Albany, there will be many events, including the planting of poppies on Middleton Beach, as well as the traditional dawn service at Mt Clarence.
The laying of wreaths, traditional games of two-up and gunfire breakfasts for hundreds will be replicated across the State.
Kondinin RSL and shire president Allen Smoker said the horseman statue was designed to represent all those who served in conflicts over the years.
Although he came up with the concept, seeing it in the dawn half-light blew him away and he expected many would have the same emotional reaction.
For the Browning family, it would be a link to Charles, known as CJ, a talented horseman who fought in the 10th Light Horse alongside WA Victoria Cross recipient Hugo Throssell, his grandson Tim Browning said.
They arrived in Gallipoli in late May but their first major fight was the notorious charge at the Nek. The waves of soldiers sent out of the trenches and mown down were halted just before it was their turn.
Later, the regiment fought in the battle for Hill 60, where Charles was blown up and evacuated with serious injuries, including the loss of one eye. He returned to the farm in Kondinin in 1916.
In 1918, Bernard was killed on just his third day in France. Charles married his widow Phyllis, who had two small children. They had four more.
John Browning said the extended family usually attended the march but this year would go to the dawn service.
