“Whenever we had a street parade or a function,ever since she was a tiny tot,she was very keen to be marching with me,” Curdie said.
For Evans,24,attending the marches with her grandfather,now 85,are among her earliest memories.
RAAF Veteran John Curdie with his granddaughter,Private Brittany Evans.James Alcock
“Papa would always let myself and my siblings be involved with the march and the veterans,and it was nice to get so excited about it,” she said. “I’d worry that I was doing the right marching technique and all that sort of stuff.”
As an adult,Evans has maintained the tradition of attending the local Anzac Day dawn service in Epping with Curdie,along with other members of her family including her mother,partner and sister.
But this year will be special because,for the first time,both grandfather and granddaughter will both be in uniform. On Monday morning Evans will be there not as a private citizen but as Private Brittany Evans.
“She always comes to the dawn service with me and this year it will be as a fully trained member of the Australian Defence Force. I’m rather proud of that one,” Curdie said.
Evans went to university and started a career in marketing but quit last year to join the Australian Army. She told her grandfather she had applied at the breakfast after the Dawn Service last year.
Both John Curdie and his granddaughter,Private Brittany Evans,believe there is growing appreciation for the significance of Anzac Day among the younger generations.James Alcock
Curdie has noticed a shift in the public perception of Anzac Day over the decades since his service in the ready reserve in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Korean War.
He believes there is growing interest and respect for Anzac Day among the younger generations based on the level of engagement from students when the sub-branch helps local primary and high schools host an Anzac Day service.
RAAF Veteran and Epping RSL sub-branch president John Curdie OAM with his medals for service.James Alcock
“The community is starting to understand that freedom is not free,” Curdie said. “The things we enjoy today,the way our lifestyle is,comes with a price. And I think with present history,we can see what the Ukrainians are paying for their freedom.”
Evans said part of the reason Anzac Day had potentially grown in significance was the recent campaigns from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other missions.
“You’ve got veterans from World War Two,but then you’ve also got new,younger veterans as well telling their stories,so maybe people in the younger generations can relate a bit more to that as well,” she said.
Evans said Anzac Day had always been meaningful for her and her friends,but this year would have extra significance.
“I guess it means that I’m proud to be serving for my country,and I’m proud of myself for taking the step to follow those dreams of mine from when I was a young little girl,” Evans said.
Curdie said recent rain meant the Epping dawn service could not be held at Forest Park and a smaller event would be held indoors. The event is supported by the City of Parramatta.