Young and old pause to remember as Wagga marks Remembrance Day 2023

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front and the First World War came to an end.

Remembrance Day 2023 marked the 105th anniversary of the Armistice and about 150 people attended a commemorative ceremony in Wagga's Victory Memorial Gardens to mark the occasion.

While a moment to pause and reflect on those who served in World War 1, the day also commemorated those who have been involved in wars that followed.

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Wagga veteran Ken May, who was the MC at the ceremony, said he was moved by the size of the crowd at the event and was happy a lot of younger veterans and school children were in attendance.

"They were very solemn, it was a very solemn occasion. They laughed when they needed to laugh, they laughed at me when I made some mistakes," Mr May said.

The veteran hoped people remembered the day's message of the horrors of the casualties, both men and women, who died during WWI.

"If we don't remember it, people might do it all over again. Whereas if we continually remember it, keep talking about how this is the war to end all wars, let's try and make it from now on they aren't any more wars," Mr May said.

The event's highlights included the catafalque party raising the flag and one of the army reservists, who is a bagpiper, playing the national anthem on his pipes.

Speeches were given by both Colonel Timothy Stone, the commanding officer from First Recruit Training Battalion at Kapooka, and Army Cadet commanding officer Captain Sherrin Weiberle.

The marching band was unable to be at the service as it was enlisted for an annual competition in Leeton.

Mr May said he was incredibly grateful for the help he received from the Army cadets, who volunteered to help set up the event, carry the wreath from the florist and organise the flag raising.

"The commanding officer of the army cadets offered some of her cadets to help us out, they did a whole lot of jobs when there was nobody else to do them," he said.

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