Macclesfield RSL’s Anzac Day service will recognise the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin.
President Dennis Oldenhove – who served in the Australian Army as Sergeant from 1992-2011 – said 1942 had a “major impact” on the town.
“There were troops coming back from Africa to reconstitute themselves before they took on the Japanese,” he said.
“We had an engineer regiment based in Macclesfield… and they were billeted on local farms.
“They spent a bit of time here.”
With many local men away serving, women ran farms, and when those billeted to the engineer regiment were not training, they also helped.
“They did odd jobs, fixed sheds, helped with milking, which gave them a sense of pride and achievement and a return of thanks for being billeted while they were here,” Mr Oldenhove said.
“At the same time, they improved the morale of the town.
“They held a lot of dances in the institute, a lot of locals would come in and have a dance and raise money for welfare for other troops overseas.”
After the bombing in Darwin, trenches were dug, in anticipation of other threats, and engineers billeted to Macclesfield dug air-raid trenches at the local school grounds.
“If the enemy did come and bomb here, kids and townspeople had somewhere to jump into for safety,” Mr Oldenhove said.
“They’ve been filled in… (but) members of the club, who were school kids at the time, used to play in those trenches, so they’ve shown us exactly where they were.
“They still remember the engineers who came here.
“Some set up relationships with local girls, and after the war, came back and married them.
“That year… brought the war to town, so to speak.”
The history of the town, its people and the sacrifices made will be reflected on at Macclesfield RSL’s twilight service on Sunday, April 24, from 6pm.
“For me, personally, Anzac Day is a chance to spend a bit of time remembering my service and to spend a bit of thinking about the guys that I served with and what we did and why we did it,” Mr Oldenhove said.
The service begins in sunlight, and proceeds into darkness, when people light their candles, which are sold to raise money for the RSL.
After the service, an evening meal will be available in the back yard.
“Everyone hangs around and socialises and catches up, it’s a good social night,” Mr Oldenhove said.
The unique service started about 16 years ago, when the club found only a handful of people were turning up to the dawn service, which clashed with other commitments.
So, members changed the service to the evening before, and in the first year about 200 people showed.
Ever since, the new format has attracted 300-400 each year.
“It proved a much better timeslot for families and young kids, and freed up veterans to do their things like dawn service,” Mr Oldenhove said.
The weekend will have a range of Anzac Day events, including the Macclesfield RSL sponsored Anzac Day round between Meadows and Macclesfield football clubs on Saturday, April 23.
About 400-500 turned out for the annual game last year, which raised money and awareness of local veterans.
A service will be held between A-grade and B-grade games, and medals will be named after a veteran from each town, presented by their descendants.
Macclesfield RSL has about 150 members, and offers many ways to get involved.
The branch created and manages the Macclesfield Anzac Memorial Garden, which now attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Residents can volunteer time to maintain the garden, or visit for reflection.
“People can find a bit of time to remove themselves from the world, it’s a nice peaceful place to be,” Mr Oldenhove said.
Social nights, bingo, dinners, coffees and meetings are also ways people can get involved, and Macclesfield RSL has an “open-door policy”.
“We’re always open to new members and fresh-blood, we don’t knock anybody back if they want to come along and help or just be involved in a group,” Mr Oldenhove said.
“We often find when we chat with people who come in, it might stir an interest in their family history and members who have served.
“If they want to come along and socialise and have a good time, they’re welcome.”
Members of the branch also do welfare work, where most of their fundraising money goes.
“We’ve got veterans who are isolated at home. We can go out and get their scripts, take them to the doctor, or to hospital,” Mr Oldenhove said.
“We have our own welfare fund where if people fall on hard times, we help them out and pay their bills.
“It’s a very holistic approach to welfare; if there’s a way we can help, we do.
“If someone is need, then we’ve got cash on hand to help them out and make their life a bit easier.”
Mr Oldenhove has been Macclesfield RSL’s President for 15 years.
He was awarded Mount Barker District Council Citizen of the Year in 2015 for helping local veterans, reinstating local services and building the local memorial garden.
He recommends volunteering or doing community work at RSLs.
“People who have committed to serving their life to their country and their community are generally just good people,” he said.
“And when they’re falling on hard times or struggling, you can’t help but just want to lift them back up.
“Whatever we do here has that aim of making sure we lift people up and get them back on their feet, or just make sure they know they’re cared for and looked after.”
