Young cadet leads tribute to Bellarine veterans

YEAR 12 student and Bellarine local Taylan Black is bringing a quiet corner of Drysdale cemetery into focus this Anzac Day.

The Bellarine Secondary College captain and Cadet Sergeant with the 32 Australian Army Cadet Unit has placed more than 100 Australian flags at veterans’ graves.

He said the idea came after he and members of the Drysdale RSL noticed attendance at Anzac services was declining.

“It’s smaller every year,” he said.

“Some people are losing interest, and we wanted to bring forward another way of showing respect for the veterans that served our country.”

The project involved walking through the cemetery to locate veteran graves, and researching each individual to find information such as their rank, service number and last known posting.

Taylan hopes his leadership will inspire more young locals to take part in remembrance initiatives and events.

“It’s meaningful to me because it provides an opportunity for young people to actively participate, honour those who serve, and connect us to the history of our local community,” he said.

The flags were installed on Wednesday ahead of Anzac Day and are mounted on 2m flagpoles made by Taylan and his father.

Taylan hopes the project can become an annual initiative, with the materials reused in future years.

He also acknowledged the support of the community and his family in bringing the project to life.

“It’s been amazing to see the community band around it,” Taylan said. “It’s really nice to see the community really has committed to acknowledging the history of our community, and those who have served.”

The flags will remain in place until Anzac Day before being removed in the following week.