Anzac Day 2025: Great Southern towns from Cranbrook to Highbury remember Diggers with services across region

Veterans, family members, shires, emergency services, schools and community groups across the Great Southern united on Friday to commemorate Anzac Day. Graeme Peirce who served in the Australian military for 10 years, including deployments in Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq, pioneered the West Arthur dawn service at Lake Towerrinning. He spoke to about 150 attendees, focusing on the 110th anniversary of Gallipoli and the sacrifices thousands of men and women made. After the sun rose, the crowd travelled to the Darkan War Memorial for the Anzac Commemorative Service led by a troop march and followed by the sounding of Last Post, national anthems and wreath laying. The Wickepin War Memorial was dressed in wreaths while about 70 community members paid their respects at the shire’s Anzac service. A similar show of people attended the Cuballing Anzac service as about 70 flocked to the Cuballing War Memorial before half the crowd continued the commemoration at a gathering afterwards. Organised by the Shire of Williams, about 100 community members gathered at the RSL Courtyard for the 8am service. Locals Zinnea Schulz and Jack Higham told the story of their great great uncle Malcolm Phipps Higham and great grandfather Malcolm Murray Higham. Zinnea read out the first-hand experience of a Wickepin soldier who was a friend and witness to Malcolm Phipps Higham’s’ death in World War I, killed by German soldiers at just 21 years. Jack shared the tales of returned World War II soldier Malcolm Phipps Higham’s nephew Malcolm Murray, who was named after his uncle. The Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup honoured the service and sacrifice of its veterans with Tambellup Lions Club’s Winton Nazzari leading the 6.45am service at Broomehill War Memorial. Members of the Military Brotherhood MMC were among the number who attended for the Anzac Day address, a powerful performance by Andy Bradshaw and a morning tea provided by the Lions Club and CWA. A small group braved the chilly early morning to join Cranbrook’s Sukey Hill dawn service at 6am before venturing to the Cranbrook Town Hall to refuel at the gunfire breakfast provided by the Cranbrook Community Men’s Shed. The troop march formed at 8.30am on Gathorne Street followed by wreath laying at the Cranbrook War Memorial and the Anzac service at the Cranbrook Hall. Highbury honoured its veterans a week early, hosting an Anzac service for about 120 people at Highbury Anzac Park on April 19.