Navy crew to boost Geelong Anzac march

AN AUSTRALIAN Navy warship and its almost 200-strong crew will provide the centrepiece of Geelong’s Anzac Day commemorations on Monday.

HMAS Parramatta is due to berth in Corio Quay on Friday, bringing with it about 190 sailors who will take part in the traditional Malop Street march, while the ship’s commander David Murphy is Geelong RSL’s guest speaker for its commemorative events.

Geelong RSL president Andrew Hanns said he was thrilled to welcome the Naval crew to the city as the Geelong community returns to large-scale remembrance events following two years of COVID disruptions.

“We’re expecting big crowds, especially with the last couple of years being a bit of a fizzer,” he said.

“Everyone is out and about, you notice now that school holidays have started and over Easter everything’s mad, there’s a real buzz.

“We normally get 5000 or 6000 people to Eastern Beach, and with 190 sailors marching, and all the different associations involved, I imagine the march to be a bit bigger than usual this year.”

The Geelong veteran’s branch will host a pre-dawn service at Johnstone Park at 4.15am, and a dawn service at Eastern Beach from 5.50am.

Later, it will host its Anzac Day service at its Belmont home at 9am, with the main city march to happen along Malop Street from 11am. The event will mean road closures and public transport disruptions in the area.

“We’ll have two-up out the back, a big tent, cadets cooking a barbie, and you can have a couple of beers with your mates,” Mr Hanns said.

“That’s what it’s all about; catching up with those blokes you haven’t seen for a long time.

“We all come together and give each other a bit of cheek and have a great day.

“We’ve missed it greatly.”

In other Geelong events, Lara RSL will also host a service at the town’s Rennie Street centotaph from 6am, and there’ll be a Boer War memorial service at the corner of Kilgour Street and Latrobe Terrace from 6.30am.

Norlane will also have a march at the Melbourne Road service lane, starting 9.30am and concluding with a wreath laying at Norlane RSL at 9.50am.