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Saranac Lake marks Australian ties with Anzac Day service

A group of North Country Community College students from Australia hold their country’s flag during the village of Saranac Lake’s Anzac Day ceremony on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

SARANAC LAKE — A pair of soldiers from the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. and a group of Australian students who attend North Country Community College were among those who helped the village commemorate Anzac Day Tuesday.

Retired Saranac Lake music teacher Helen Demong sang “Amazing Grace” as Australian Army Capt. Thomas Hinds and Sgt. Ryan Malcolm laid a wreath at the base of the village’s World War I Memorial at the corner of River and Church streets. A crowd of about 75 people attended the service, which took place in a light rain.

This was the fourth time the village has marked Anzac Day, a national holiday in Australia and New Zealand to honor those who served and died in war. The village has held a service every year since late December 2013, when 31-year-old Australian Army Capt. Paul McKay traveled to Saranac Lake for unknown reasons and, a few days later, committed suicide by hypothermia on Scarface Mountain in Ray Brook.

The village’s observance has traditionally served as a day of awareness about post-traumatic stress, from which McKay, a combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan, suffered.

“The fact that you took our lost brother, Paul McKay, into your hearts, and you treated him and his memory with such deep respect is one thing,” Hinds told the crowd. “The fact that you choose to observe Anzac Day is quite another. You do us a great honor, and we consider it a privilege to be here.”

Australian Army Capt. Thomas Hinds delivers the Anzac Day address Tuesday in the World War I Memorial park at the corner of River and Church streets in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

Hinds talked about the history of Anzac Day. Held each April 25, it marks the day in 1915, during World War I, when Australia New Zealand Army Corps forces landed at Gallipoli, in present-day Turkey, and began an eight-month campaign, during which they suffered heavy losses.

“The significance of this day to Australians is immense and broad, and not necessarily obvious to others,” Hinds said, describing Anzac Day as a combination of the U.S. observances of Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

“Prior to the 25th of April 1915, Australian soldiers were underestimated and undervalued, but they never would be again,” Hinds explained. “The unruly, undisciplined descendants of convicts from the other side of the world had proven themselves to be fierce warriors on the battlefield and a force to be reckoned with. … The impact of this coming of age was profound, and the legacy of the Anzac legend is an important part of the Australian identity today.”

Hinds also spoke about the “invisible, psychological wounds” of battle, like those McKay suffered.

“The meaning of Anzac Day continues to grow,” he said. “As we shed light on these issues, it begins to encompass a need to also honor those service men and women, like Paul McKay, who might not have died in combat, but who still sacrificed greatly and who are still suffering now.”

Australian Army Capt. Tom Hinds, right, and Sgt. Ryan Malcolm salute the village of Saranac Lake’s World War I Memorial after laying a wreath at its base during Tuesday’s Anzac Day service. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

Jade Larkins, a second-year NCCC student from Melbourne, Australia, also addressed the crowd. She talked about her family’s history in the Australian military, including a great-grandfather who fought in World War II and died as a prisoner of war in a Japanese “death march.” Larkins also talked about how significant it is that Americans and Australians have fought side by side for more than 100 years.

“On behalf of all the Australians here and at home, we are very lucky to be part of your wonderful community,” she said. “Thank you for taking the time today to come and honor Capt. Paul McKay and all our soldiers.”

Tuesday’s service also featured remarks from Mayor Clyde Rabideau and Sam Hall of the St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers’ veterans program. Trustee Rich Shapiro read a proclamation from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and a pair of Plattsburgh-based U.S. Air Force soldiers talked about serving with Australians. In addition to “Amazing Grace,” Demong also sang the “Star Spangled Banner” and the Australian National Anthem. A Saranac Lake Police Department color guard raised the American flag.

Before the commemoration came to an end, Malcolm read the “Ode of Remembrance,” a portion of a 100-year-old Laurence Binyon poem that pays tribute to all casualties of war.

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them,” Malcom said.

Australian Army Capt. Tom Hinds, left, and Sgt. Ryan Malcolm lay a wreath at the village of Saranac Lake’s World War I Memorial during Tuesday’s Anzac Day service. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

Retired Saranac Lake music teacher Helen Demong sang “Amazing Grace” as Australian Army Capt. Thomas Hinds and Sgt. Ryan Malcolm laid a wreath at the base of the village’s World War I Memorial at the corner of River and Church streets Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

North Country Community College student Jade Larkins, of Melbourne, Australia, speaks Tuesday during the Saranac Lake Anzac Day observance at the village’s World War I Memorial. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

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