“What does Anzac mean to you?”

This is the question the Narromine Sub-Branch of the Returned and Services League asks the community as the national day of remembrance – Anzac Day – approaches.

It’s an important question as every passing year takes us a step further away from the event that started it all: the ill-fated Allied forces’ military expedition to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkiye on April 25, 1915.

Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) soldiers were part of this expedition, strongly resisted by Turk defenders resulting in 36,000 casualties (almost 11,500 dead) among the ANZAC forces and 251,000 (over 86,000 dead) from the Ottoman Empire.

“The meaning of Anzac Day today includes the remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations,” according to The Australian Army.

Narromine Sub-Branch president David Taylor said it was important to remind the community that the day is about “really serious stuff.”

“We’re commemorating those who served and those who gave their lives for the country,” David said.

“I've been listening for a few years to Lee Kernaghan's collection of Anzac songs, based on archived letters from front line soldiers. Early ones seem to be a bit like, ‘Well, this is an adventure. We'll be home in a couple of months. It's all going to be over.’ But obviously it wasn't like that,” he explained.

“And as as as you go down through history and read through these accounts, there's less of this adventure idea, and more of the really serious stuff.

“So we've got to be mindful that we're not just here just to have a holiday. We're here to remember something really important,” David added.

Preparations are well underway for Anzac Day commemorations across the Narromine Shire, with a range of events to be held on Saturday, April 25, across Narromine and Trangie. No events are planned for Tomingley.

Anzac Day 2026 in the Narromine Shire

Narromine:

6.00 am Dawn Service, Narromine Cenotaph

7.00 am Breakfast, Narromine USMC

9.25 am War Graves Service, Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery (includes fly-past at 9.30am)

10.45 am Main Street March to Cenotaph

11.00 am Anzac Day Service

Wreaths will also be laid at the Narromine Shire Council chambers and the Narromine Aviation Museum on the day but times were not known at the time of printing.

Trangie:

05.45 am Dawn Service, Memorial Hall

07.00 am Breakfast, Trangie USMC

10.45am Main Street March

11.00 am Anzac Day Service, Memorial Hall

Narromine Shire mayor, Cr Ewen Jones, hopes many locals will attend the range of events taking place across the shire this Anzac Day.

“Anzac Day holds deep significance for our community," mayor Jones said.

"It’s an opportunity for people of all ages to come together, pay their respects, and ensure the legacy of our servicemen and women is never forgotten.

"I encourage everyone to attend a local service and be part of this important tradition.”

Lest We Forget.