Mount Macedon ANZAC Day Dawn Service

Next date: Friday, 25 April 2025 | 06:00 AM to 07:00 AM

The 2025 Mount Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service will again take place on 25 April at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross.

The community is invited to attend and help acknowledge this year’s theme, ‘The Unseen Wounds of Conflict’, exploring the many impacts that war has on those who serve, from the physical injuries to the mental effects and the wider repercussions for families.

The MC for the service will be Kyneton Royal Australian Navy Veteran Luke Bordonaro, and students from Braemar College, Kyneton High School and Gisborne Secondary College will read stories and accounts from local veterans: Dr Francis Donovan OAM from Woodend, the late Colonel John Charles Barrie (known to most as Charlie), formerly from Kyneton, and James Gardiner Daniel whose parents resided in Kyneton.

A special highlight of this year’s service will be bringing to life Barrie’s story through his own words, which were published in his book Memoirs of an Anzac, with the help and support of his surviving family said President of the Mount Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service (MMADDS) Committee, Leona Latcham.

“At this year’s service, we are very lucky to be able to share three powerful stories of ex-service people who have links to our local area,” said Leona.

“Dr Francis Donovan has been an integral part of the history of the Mount Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service and we are honoured to share his story as part of the 2025 service. His raw accounts from the Vietnam War and honest admissions about the ongoing effects on his life are both moving and inspiring.

“We also look forward to sharing the story of Charlie Barrie. He was involved in the landing at Gallipoli, and later served at the Western Front and was wounded twice during the war. His granddaughter Judy Osborne will travel from interstate to attend the service with other members of the family so it will be a very special morning.

“We will also share accounts from James Gardiner Daniel who was born in Echuca and working as a bank Clerk in Shepparton at the time of his enlistment on 21 August 1914. His parents Mr and Mrs C.S Daniel resided in Bowen Street Kyneton. James survived the initial Gallipoli landing as a member of the famous original 7th Battalion but was wounded in a later battle in the Dardenelles.”

The service commences at 6am at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross and runs for approximately an hour.

Free shuttle buses run from Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon from 4.15am as roads to the Cross are shut to public traffic for the morning for the safety of attendees.

Plenty of parking is available at Tony Clarke Reserve and free bus services will also run from Gisborne, Woodend, Sunbury, Kyneton, Riddells Creek, Lancefield and Romsey.

The timetables for the town buses will be available at Mt Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service website along with details of how to book. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and bring a water bottle and torch.

A sausage sizzle will be available and a gold coin donation would be appreciated.

MMADDS thanks its sponsors including the Victorian Government through Victorian Veterans Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Bendigo Community Bank Gisborne and Region, Public Transport Victoria, Gisborne Region Events Activities & Tourism and KGMG Creative.

Thanks also goes to the organisations that help the service come together and run smoothly on the day including CFA, SES, Victoria Police, Parks Victoria, Woodend Scouts and the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Reserve Committee of Management.