A retired RAAF Sergeant who was deployed to the Middle East in 2008 and served for 33 years will be the MC for the Joondalup dawn service.
Peter Gooch, who is also the vice-president of Joondalup RSL sub-branch, reflected on the significance of Anzac Day ahead of his participation in the Joondalup dawn service.
“Anzac Day is about remembering Diggers and the sacrifices they made and also supporting their family and descendants,” he said.
“It tugs at your heartstrings to realise what the servicemen went through, the conditions they endured and the young lives that were lost.
“The dawn service is always a moving ceremony, for everyone just to sit down and think how lucky we are.”
With the current conflict in the Middle East similar to unrest during his deployment in 2008, Mr Gooch said there “is still a lot of conflict going on” and hoped for a peaceful outcome.
“You just wish the parties would come together and try and work out their differences to make it a safer place for everyone,” he said.
“All these conflicts cause these veterans to come back with medical problems and to deal with that. Not only for them but for their families.”
The dawn service will be at the Joondalup cenotaph in Central Park from 5.45am on April 25.