Anzac Day services on the Gold Coast: Burleigh, North Gold Coast, Southport march cancelled
Thousands of Gold Coasters gathered together to commemorate and pay respects to the ANZACs at services across the city, despitethree later ones being canned due to wet weather.
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Thousands of Gold Coasters have gathered at Dawn Services across the city to commemorate and pay respects to the ANZACs.
More rain is on the cards to disrupt Anzac Day commemorations across South East Queensland today after parts of the state were smashed overnight.
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MID-MORNING SERVICE
SOUTHPORT
By Emily Walker, Crystal Fox and Jacklyn O’Brien
Gold Coasters have been sent packing three marches and midmorning services were canned due to wet weather.
At around 7.40am, the Southport RSL Sub branch called off the 8am parade after a rain bomb drenched the city’s CBD.
Southport RSL sub branch president Craig Thomas said the decision to cancel the parade and subsequent service was due to the weather.
“Besides from the rain coming in sideways, we had to make a call on safety,” he said.
“We did a quick risk assessment on it and the power was an issue.
“The PA system got wet.
“We don’t want kids getting electrocuted.
“It wasn’t how I was expecting to spend Anzac Day but I will get a drink earlier.”
A Burleigh Heads RSL and an North Gold Coast RSL spokesperson confirmed they had called off their midmorning marches and services at Burleigh Heads and Upper Coomera due to safety concerns.
The march organised through the Rotary Club at Upper Coomera went ahead as scheduled.
At 6am on Friday morning, The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for people in the Gold Coast, Coolangatta, Beenleigh, Jimboomba and Mount Tamborine.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson said the parts of the Gold Coast saw up to 50mm of rain within an hour and a thunderstorms on on Friday morning.
“Friday morning will probably be the most active time for thunderstorms,” she said.
“It will still be a bit showery for the rest of the day … but there will hopefully be a bit more sun as we go into Sunday.”
Ms Johnson said the storms could cause some “gusty and erratic winds” but confirmed there was no marine warning.
She added there would also be high tides between Sunday and Tuesday.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate arrived to lay a wreath at the Southport cenotaph despite the march being cancelled.
“It’s unfortunate [the parade has been called off] … but the spirit of the Anzac still continues,” he said.
“As I go and lay the wreath, I see it's full of [wreaths from] people who have been here regardless of the cancellation so the respect and the remembrance continue and I know that we’ll all be back next year.”
The cancellation didn’t deter others from paying their respects with students from Bellevue Park, St Hilda’s and Trinity Lutheran College attending to show their respects
St Hildas School principal Virginia Warner, who accompanied year 11 and 12 students to lay a wreath, said the service is part of the school’s DNA.
“This morning, despite the parade being cancelled, our girls were adamant that they would still like to come down,” she said.
“So here we are to give them the opportunity to champion the importance of remembering all who have served, both servicemen and women who have allowed us to have the freedoms of today.”
Year 3 Trinity Lutheran College student Frankie O’Connor said the change of plans didn’t stop her and her mum Cherie Williams attending the Southport cenotaph.
“We’ll still go and show our respects again here at Southport, go and have a look at the wreaths that have been laid already and head out for some two up this afternoon at one of the local bowling clubs,” Ms Williams said.
The cancellation comes two years after proud veterans defied a ban and marched to bring in the Anzac Day dawn in Southport.
The parade – which had been ongoing for more than 100 years – had been banned after a dispute between the Southport RSL sub-branch and Southport councillor Brooke Patterson.
Currumbin RSL marketing manager Marc Thompson confirmed their midmorning march was still going ahead.
A Runaway Bay RSL spokesperson confirmed their 9.30am march and the 10am service were still going ahead.
A Surfers Paradise RSL spokesperson said they were making a decision at 9am on whether their midmorning march would go ahead.
UPPER COOMERA
By Crystal Fox
Gold Coasters have rallied behind the newly positions cenotaph in a northern Gold Coast suburb.
Despite the influx of midmorning service cancellations Rotary Club of Coomera Valley member Warren Edwards said the community came in force.
“The community braved the rain and the rain clear long enough for the service to be concluded without rain,” he said.
“(However), the heavens opened again one minute before the conclusion of the service.
It marks the first year since the cenotaph was moved from the busy intersection at Tamborine Oxenford Rd and Charlies Crossing Rd to Tallowwood Park.
“The community have embraced the new location and are looking forward to a sunny event next year,” Mr Edwards said.
DAWN SERVICES
CURRUMBIN
By Jacklyn O’Brien
Between bouts of rain and flashes of lightning over the ocean, bagpipes could be heard bellowing from the procession as Gold Coasters marched towards Elephant rock.
Deputy president of the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL club, Peter Thorpe, opened the 2025 Anzac Day Dawn Service.
Mr Thorpe acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land, expressing gratitude for generations of service people who have defended Australia.
After a music interlude of Abide With Me, Michael Humphreys continued the service at 5.02am.
The legion of viewers gathered were still in darkness, and the occasional wave lapped the feet of those on the beach.
There was no majestic sunrise over Elephant Rock at Currumbin this morning. Instead, the sky slowly got lighter as the crowd was windswept and damp.
Mr Humphrey's’ speech was followed by a reverent rendition of “A Perfect Day,” by Carrie Jacobs Bond.
John Leathley then shed some light on the kind of people were fighting for the Australian Imperial Force on that fateful day at Gallipoli.
He spoke of young men who were doctors, engineers, worked in the mines, on the land and on railways.
There were siblings who joined the force together and sports people recruited from footy clubs across the country.
Lani Kennedy then took to the stage, commending the contribution of women throughout Australia’s military history.
As the roll of honour – which lists the soldiers who have died in service in the last year – was read out, rain rolled over crowd.
At around 5.40am, the sky finally lightened a shade, as the bugle rang out over the canopy of umbrellas.
A total of 27 names were read on the Currumbin Palm Beach RSL roll of honour.
As wreaths were laid by dozens of people, the oars were lifted into the air from the boats out at sea, signifying the ashes of the fallen service people had been spread.
SOUTHPORT
By Emily Walker
Hundreds of people gathered at Anzac Park at Broadwater Parklands either coming from the 4.20am march or for the annual Dawn Service.
A flotilla and recording of gunfire gave attendees a brief glimpse of what it would have been like for troops in Gallipoli in 1915.
The Southport Yacht Club provided vessels lit up with flares for the spectacular commencement.
While weather forecasts have promised a downpour for the day, the rain has held off for most of The Dawn Service with the occasional flash of lightening and growl of thunder.
Southport RSL Sub branch president Craig Thomas emceed the 2025 Southport Anzac Day Dawn Service
Major Sam Miller Officer read the ANZAC requiem followed by Father Donald Parker leading the group in prayer.
Rain began to patter down midway through the wreath laying ceremony but attendees were not deterred.
Former Australian serviceman Joel Carmody was one of the hundreds attending the service that morning.
“Being ex-defence, we need to show our respects to people past and present,” he said.
“It’s pretty vital to remember how we got to where we are in lots of commemorative ways but Anzac Day is the most special.”
SURFERS PARADISE
By Ryan Keen
Thousands have turned out in drizzling rain to the Surfers Paradise Dawn Service on Anzac Day.
Crowds packed the foreshore under a sea of umbrellas stretching several blocks back each way from the Surfers Anzac memorial.
Reverend Jim Raistrick led those gathered in an Anzac prayer before Colonel Gabrielle Raffin, the Assistant Commander of the 11th Brigade headquartered at the Gallipoli barracks in Brisbane, gave the keynote address.
“It is a privilege to be here this morning and remember the Anzacs – indeed all of those who have served.
“I – like many who have served before me, and those alongside me – am Intrinsically motivated to serve by my connection to the Australian people and values moulded by our collective experience, the challenges we face together and the tenacity we continue to show in the face of adversity.
“The values of endurance, courage, sacrifice and mateship were forged on the sands of Gallipoli, continued in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam and perpetuated in the modern landscapes of Iraq and Afghanistan to name a few.
“It’s their belief in these values that saw thousands of Australians and New Zealanders go and fight when the Great War broke out in 1914. To them it was worth making the ultimate sacrifice to keep their homeland and their loved ones safe and free.”
Colonel Raffin thanked the thousands gathered – and who keep coming year after year to honour that sacrifice on Anzac morning.
“For the young people here today, students and children, it is so important that you are here today. Your generation will carry on the Anzac tradition after us and ensure it carries on into the future.
“You don’t have to wear a military uniform to carry the Anzac spirit with you.
“You carry it every time you stand up for a friend. Every time you persevere through challenges with courage and determination. The Anzacs teach us bravery isn’t about not being afraid. It’s about doing the right thing even when it is difficult.”
She added today was also about thinking of those away on active duty away from family and friends and veterans forever changed, some physically and some emotionally.”
Anzac installations like the Surfers Paradise memorial were placed all over the world – “to me they represent a promise – a promise that we as a nation will forever remember their sacrifice and be grateful for the spirit they have given us, the Anzac spirit.”
Surfers Paradise RSL president Len Guest read out The Ode as waves crashed on the scoured beach not far behind him Gold Coast City Brass Band bugler Dr Richard Thompson played The Last Post before a minute’s silence.
St Kevin’s School’s Finn Jackson read poem In Flanders’ Fields before Corporal Jade O’Halloran belted out stirring renditions of the New Zealand national anthem in Te Reo and English before the Australian national anthem.
As rain continued to fall, The Dawn Service was concluded with young and old, veterans, police, school kids and dignitaries mingling and posing for photos in front of the wreath-laden memorial
SERVICES
Anzac Day is a time for reflection and commemoration across the Gold Coast, with multiple services set to take place today.
ANZAC DAY SERVICES
Burleigh Heads
Dawn Service: 4.28am at Burleigh Heads RSL cenotaph
Anzac Day ceremony: 9.30am at Burleigh Heads RSL cenotaph
Currumbin
Dawn Service: 5am at Elephant Rock, Currumbin
A march will commence at 4.35am from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The march will end at Elephant Rock ready for the commencement of The Dawn Service at that location at 5am.
Anzac Day ceremony: 11am at Currumbin RSL Cenotaph
A midmorning march will leave from Winders Park at 10.35am, ending at the Currumbin RSL cenotaph at 10.55am.
Helensvale
Dawn Service: 5am at Remembrance Park, 20 Discovery Drive, Helensvale.
Anzac Day march: From 10.15am at the Upper Coomera Community Centre.
Mudgeeraba
Sunset service: A march will set off from Village Green at Mudgeeraba at 3pm.
The march will end at the Mudgeeraba-Robina RSL sub branch, 62 Railway St, Mudgeeraba.
Note there will be road closures in place from 2.30pm.
Nerang
Dawn Service: 4.45am at the cenotaph at Nerang RSL and Memorial Club, 69 Nerang St, Nerang
Anzac Day ceremony: 10am at Bischoff Pioneer Park, Nerang
A march will start at 9.15am from the Maid of Sker end of Nerang St before the service.
Robina
Anzac Day march: 8.30am at Arbour Lane, opposite Target at Robina Town Centre.
Anzac Day ceremony: 9am at Robina Auditorium, 196 Robina Town Centre Drive.
Runaway Bay
Dawn Service: 5am at Anzac Park, adjacent to Runaway Bay Library on Lae Drive, Runaway Bay
Anzac Day ceremony: 10am, Anzac Place Cenotaph, Lae Drive, Runaway Bay
The ceremony will be preceded by a march which will start at Sports Drive, Runaway Bay at 9.30am.
Southport
Dawn Service: 5am at Anzac Park, Broadwater Parklands
The Dawn Service will be preceded by a march starting at 4.30am from the Broadwater Parklands side of Australia Fair.
Anzac Day ceremony: 9am at Anzac Park, Broadwater Parklands
The main ceremony will follow a march along the Gold Coast Highway between Nind and Nerang Streets, starting from 8am.
Surfers Paradise
Dawn Service: 5.30am at the Anzac Memorial, The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
There will be a march from the front of Subway on Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise starting at 4.45am.
Wreath laying: Noon at the The Cenotaph, Cavill Park on Cavill Ave, there will be laying of wreaths, playing of the Last Post and a minute’s silence.
TSS Anzac Day service
Dawn Service: 5am, The Southport School, Southport
The Dawn service at TSS will unveil the “Memorial for the Fallen,” honouring 132 TSS students who have died in service since 1915.
Tweed Heads
Dawn Service: 5.45m at Chris Cunningham Park, Wharf St, Tweed Heads
Anzac Day ceremony: 11am at Chris Cunningham Park, Wharf St, Tweed Heads.
A march will start from Boundary St, Tweed Heads at 10.30am before the service.
Upper Coomera
There will be two Anzac Day services held in Upper Coomera on April 25, one organised by the North Gold Coast RSL sub branch, and the other organised by the Rotary club.
North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch Anzac Day ceremony: 10.30am at Upper Coomera Centre, 90 Reserve Rd, Upper Coomera
Rotary club service: March from Highland Reserve State School hall at 9am for a 9.30am service at the cenotaph at Tallwood park.
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