Hall lights up for Anzac Day

Geelong’s City Hall will begin lighting up with World War I imagery from 3.30am on Monday as the region prepares to commemorate Anzac Day.
The moving-light projections would continue nightly all week as Geelong marked the Centenary of Anzac, a City Hall spokesperson said.
The projections would serve as a lead-up to Geelong’s annual pre-dawn service in Johnstone Park, beside City Hall.
The council debuted the projections last year as part of a program of lighting up central Geelong to attract visitors and celebrate annual events.
This year’s Anzac projections would focus on the Word War I effort on the Western Front, said City of Greater Geelong General Manager of Investment and Attraction Brett Luxford.
“Along with the Anzac ceremonies that will be held across the municipality, the City Hall projections are an essential part of honouring those who served our country,” he said.
“Diary entries from soldiers and nurses add a very touching narration to the images and the soundtrack is very evocative.
“The projections include historic imagery from 1915 and 1916, as well as animations created by artist Matt Bonner.”
Mr Bonner said working with the historic subject matter was “really eye-opening”.
“It’s hard to fully comprehend what the men and women who served our country really went through.
“I hope the work I have created helps people catch a glimpse of this hard chapter in our history,” he said.
The content was designed to move people with human stories but was not graphically violent, Mr Bonner said.
Families with children would be able to view the show reel, “hopefully” before a respectful discussion about the tragedy of the Western Front, he said.
The projections will run on a constant loop of about 15 minutes from 6pm to 11pm until 1 May.
Other Anzac Day events in Geelong will include Torquay’s annual dawn service at Point Danger, which traditionally draws the region’s largest attendance.
More information on local services is available on council websites.