Geelong will host possibly its first Anzac Day dawn service as a “workable” alternative to record crowds at Torquay’s event, according to a spokesman.
A committee of mostly veterans had secured council approval to run the 6am service at Eastern Beach, Daryl McLure said.
The event would operate between Geelong’s traditional 4.15am pre-dawn service and 11am march to give the city a “full suite” of Anzac commemorations, he said.
“The Eastern Beach service is being undertaken to give Geelong-based people an additional and for some a workable opportunity to honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.”
Torquay’s service at Point Danger attracted 15,000 patrons last year, making access difficult for participants including the elderly and infirm.
Mr McLure said Ocean Grove’s Bob Thompson, a former solider, first raised the Eastern Beach service, which Geelong Catholic priest Father Kevin Dillon later championed.
Mr Thompson said he believed that Geelong was Victoria’s only major city without a dawn service.
“We have a pre-dawn service in a very small area, with no access for disabled people,” he said.
Committee chair Rieny Nieuwenhof expected the Geelong service to take pressure off Torquay’s event, which he said was “struggling to cope”.
“We feel that the people of Geelong will welcome this opportunity to show their appreciation to our fallen at a simple yet traditional service at a brilliant venue close to home.”
