Lisa Hewitt’s Avalon Anzac Day Dawn Service driveway project
Public Anzac Day commemoration services have been cancelled due to coronavirus, but a woman on the northern beaches has come up with a novel way for us to remember service personnel.
Manly
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A woman whose business is in hibernation due to COVID-19 has come up with a unique way to make sure Anzac Day doesn’t to go by without servicemen and women being remembered.
RSL branches have cancelled public commemoration services, but Lisa Hewitt has been working in her Avalon home for weeks making and painting hundreds of small wooden crosses with red knitted poppies attached.
The former police officer — who retired after 22 years on the force — heard about the movement urging people to unite in recognising armed services personnel by standing on their driveways at 6am for a combined Dawn Service on April 25.
Ms Hewitt, now a swimming teacher, has not been working since the swimming classes closed down nearly a month ago.
She is making the wooden crosses and giving them to people to place in their gardens as part of the combined Dawn Service.
“With Anzac Day coming up I think it’s really important that we do something, especially with what’s going on,” Ms Hewitt said.
“We really are the lucky country and we need to think about our Anzacs at the moment. I mean we could be like some of those other countries and be in all sorts, but we’re pretty lucky so far.”
Ms Hewitt, whose grandfather and great grandfather were returned servicemen, collected boxes of leftover crosses that Avalon RSL Sub-Branch official, and Australian Navy veteran, Tamara Sloper-Harding, had made last year by woodwork students and Mater Maria College at Warriewood.
“I said to Tamara why don’t you hand them all over to me and I’ll paint them all up and attach the poppies.
“I hope it will encourage people to come out at six o’clock. I know some people are coming out and playing the Last Post at dawn on Anzac Day, so I’m happy to do the crosses.”
Ms Hewitt was aiming to make at least 500 crosses, but she’s already had inquiries, via social media, from more than 500 northern beaches’ residents.
“Tamara has asked some other ladies to help out. People have been collecting them from the front of my house.
“It looks everyone is really into it, which is great.”
Last year Ms Hewitt organised a food drive in three NSW farming communities doing it tough during the worst drought in record.
She raised funds to help people living in and around Cumnock, Yeoval and Trundle, with a total of 84 food hampers, presents for the children, food for the working dogs on the farms and every family received a $150 prepaid Visa card.