For years, Dave Gallagher played a small, but important part in Coleambally’s Anzac Day service.
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From handing out rosemary, to the behind the scenes work that helped mark the day, Dave couldn’t get enough of it.
On Saturday, February 20 this year, Dave passed away, age 85.
Without a second thought, his son Brett picked up where his father left off.
While someone else could have filled the hole left by Dave’s passing, Brett, without hesitation, decided to make the trek from Victoria to Coly for Monday’s dawn service.
“It’s very close to my heart,” Brett said.
“My father wasn’t a returning soldier or anything, but it was a way of remembering his brother that he hardly got to know.”
Dave’s father was in the First World War and his oldest brother out of six flew in the Second World War and died in Ireland.
On Monday, before the sun had risen, you could see Brett and wife Annette handing out rosemary to all comers.
“He was able to help the ladies out that were left widowed,” Brett said of his father.
“He was always involved like that, involved with the bowling club and the lodge and then later, his involvement with Legacy helped him stay connected with the community.”
Throughout the day, people, strangers to Brett, would come up to him and say what a wonderful man Dave was.
“Coleambally was good to him,” Brett said.
“In turn I think he was good for Coleambally.”
