Urbenville Public School pay respect to fallen this Anzac Day

When this small Northern NSW town was at risk of losing their Anzac service, the community’s youngest members took it upon themselves to say ‘lest we forget’.

When the small Northern NSW town of Urbenville was at risk of losing its Anzac Day march and service, it was the community’s youngest members who decided to step up and say ‘lest we forget’.

With an ageing population of WWI veterans and coronavirus obstacles, it had been years since an Urbenville Anzac march was held.

Then it was made clear if the Anzac service didn’t go ahead in 2022, it would likely not return.

It was something the Urbenville Public School students and teachers couldn’t bear to see happen.

Teacher Melanie Sifko said students and staff sat down to discuss how they could keep the legacy of Urbenville’s fallen soldiers alive.

“We said ‘that doesn’t really sit right with us, it’s your legacy it’s your town, what do you think we can do about it,” she said.

The answer was to bring both back with a heartwarming twist.

On Monday, the students will run the Anzac Day service and march alongside the Urbenville RSL Sub-Branch.

Every grade had been involved in getting the commemoration ready — from learning why the flag is lowered to half mast to the importance of the Ode of Remembrance.

Ms Sifko said she was incredibly proud to see students step up to the challenge with respect and humility.

“We have a little four year-old learning a complete song,” she said.

“She can’t yet read the word cat yet she is reading a song with the word comrade.

“It’s not just showing up and laying a wreath and staying silent for a moment, they understand what we are remembering on that day.”

To rally awareness for the day the school had letterboxed and even taken a portable speaker around the town singing Anzac songs, leaving a trail of emotional residents in their path.

“There were people crying and waving hankies at us,” Ms Sifko said.

“The principal was getting phone calls of people weeping, saying ‘my goodness the kids are just beautiful’.”

For Ms Sifko, the day was a personal one too as she would be honouring her own friend who fought in Afghanistan and never returned.

She hoped the service and march would foster a new-found drive to pay tribute on April 25 within the Urbenville community.

“Anzac Day for Australia is so important in remembering why soldiers fought and some never came home,” she said.

“We told (the students) ‘there will be a time when there are no WWI veterans and it will be up to you to keep that local history going.

“It will lie with you in the end.”

The Urbenville Anzac Day march begins on the corners of Urben and Beaury St at 10.45am.

The service will begin at 11am from Memorial Gates Clarence Way.