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“We are mindful in this current climate that it’s tough too, but it forces us to rethink how we will do it all going forward.”<\/p>\n
Hannon hopes to continue evolving the service, with a focus on greater youth involvement and bringing younger veterans into the organising group.<\/p>\n
Adapting also means meeting donors where they are. This year, the RSL launched a GoFundMe page seeking community support.<\/p>\n
“We put one forward to see if people in the community might see it and go, ‘OK yes, I can put in $20’,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It seems to be the way young people do it these days; pen and paper is all gone.”<\/p>\n
That push toward a more contemporary approach was reflected in a well-received video shown on 25 April.<\/p>\n
Centenarian veteran Cliff Dunstone was unable to attend in person, instead sharing his story via a recorded interview played at the service.<\/p>\n
Hannon would like to see similar efforts made in coming years.<\/p>\n
“That was well received by a whole multitude of people, because there was a genuine person they can relate to,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They see there someone’s uncle, dad, brother, as opposed to having some person dressed up in military uniforms going ‘Blah, blah, blah’.<\/p>\n
“The questions that were asked, I think, were very poignant, and it just hit the right notes with our target audience.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TAHLIA SINCLAIR AND NATHAN RIVALLAND The future of Victoria’s second largest Anzac Day dawn service is uncertain, with costs expected to exceed $90,000 for this year’s event. The Torquay RSL dawn service, held at Danger Point, has been a longstanding and well-attended tradition for more than seven decades. But each year, the financial burden continues […]<\/p>\n