'Complete mockery': Outrage as the annual Anzac Day dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in France is axed
- Annual Anzac Day dawn service held at the Western Front has been cancelled
- Australian government who will instead run a 'more convenient' 10am service
- Bold move has been slammed by descendants of soldiers who fought in France
The annual Anzac Day dawn service held on the outskirts of a French village on the Western Front has been cancelled by the Australian government who will instead run a 'more convenient' 10am service.
The service, which is held at the Australian War Memorial, near Villers-Bretonneux, will revert to the format used before the 90th anniversary in 2008 to appease French participants.
The move has been slammed by descendants of soldiers who fought on the French battlefields in World War I and comes after Australian taxpayers spend $99 million to build the Sir John Monash Centre, The Australian reported.
The annual Anzac Day dawn service held at the historical Western Front has been cancelled by the Australian government
The centre, which is one of the most expensive museum's to be built in France in recent decades, honours the sacrifices of the Australian troops during the war.
Thousands of Australians have made the journey to attend the dawn service in France, while millions of others turned to their televisions to watch the live coverage.
Despite the following, the newly allocated time of 7pm AEST is unlikely to be broadcast.
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The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) made the move to cancel the dawn service time slot, as revealed by DVA customer service officer Diana Stevanovic.
'Following the completion of the Anzac centenary commemoration program 2014-2018 and consultation with local government representatives from the towns of Villers-Bretonneux, Corbie and Fouilloy, the Australian government has agreed to revert back to a 10am start time as a trial for the 2019 Anzac Day service,' she said in an email.
'As you may be aware, prior to 2008, the Anzac Day service was held at 10am and following an overwhelming positive response to the Armistice service held at 10.30am on November 11, 2018, from both attendees, invited guests and the relevant French authorities, the Australian government has decided to trial reverting back to a 10am service for Anzac Day 2019.'
Pictured: Malcolm Turnbull attends Anzac Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux in 2018
Danny Duke, whose great-uncle Albert Lightfoot fought at Villers-Bretonneux, said he was disappointed and dumbfounded the dawn service had been changed.
'The dawn service is an important Australian tradition and we've commemorated it since 1919,' he told The Australian.
Mr Duke has attended the dawn service in France twice and went as recently as last year.
He also questioned what would happen to the surrounding towns with the cancellation of the dawn service as the travelling Australians provide economic and tourist benefits to the area.
Similarly, retired lieutenant colonel Paul Murphy was outraged by the decision, labelling it a 'mockery'.
The bold move has been slammed by descendants of soldiers who fought on the French battlefields in World War I
Mr Murphy, whose company Military History Tours has guided thousands of Australians through the Western Front, suggested the DVA didn't understand how important the history was to a number of the population.
He then questioned why DVA wanted to 'devalue' Australia's largest overseas memorial.
Mr Murphy took his protest to the DVA but was met with a response that said Anzac Day services met the demand of the community at each location.
Alan Griffin, the former Veterans Affairs minister for the Rudd government, questioned why the government would spend almost $100 million on the Sir John Monash Centre yet be willing to save cash through removing the dawn service.
He called the situation 'mind-boggling'.
