It is timely to remember those who served our country through war as our community prepares to commemorate Anzac Day.
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The most prominent nearby memorial is Yass Soldiers Memorial Hall, which opened in 1923 to commemorate just over 500 local men and women who served in World War I.
It was built through donations and community fundraising and became akin to a personal memorial to each of the dead.
It substituted for a grave that most likely could never be visited and as such symbolised the final resting place of those named.
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For the families and friends of those listed as 'the fallen', the shrine of the hall was a sacred space to remember and pay respect to a son, a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle or friend.
Those who gathered to commemorate the fallen laid their floral tributes beneath the marble honour roll and then filed into the hall to participate in the service.
Early accounts of Anzac Day particularly note the names on the wreaths that were laid beneath the honour roll.
Frequently mentioned names were Reg Kenny, the local barber who worked opposite the memorial hall; barrister Captain Frank Coen, son of the well-known local storekeeper Michael Coen; and carpenter Harold Williamson, son of local garage proprietor T P Williamson. All had lived within two hundred metres of the hall.
From further afield, Clement McGrath's family travelled the 15 kilometres from Euralie every year to place their wreath beneath his name on the honour roll.
A German 250 millimeter trench mortar captured by the 18th Battalion, a 77mm field gun and two machine guns were sent to Yass by the NSW State Trophy Committee in 1921.
The two artillery pieces were placed in front of the hall and an undertaking given to retain the weapons in perpetuity. However, they were sent for salvage in 1941.
The hall and its shrine gained added importance as the names of World War II personnel were added and those who served in the Sudan, Boer and Vietnam wars; the Malayan Campaign and several individuals.
In the 1970s a stone brought from local property Marilba was added to the building's forecourt and on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice an enclosure of polished stone was erected around it.
Other less prominent honour rolls and individual memorials also commemorate those who served the country in times of war: Yass Public School, St Clement's Church, St Andrew's Uniting Church, Yass Lawn Tennis Club and Westpac all have honour rolls.
Following World War Two, St Augustine's Church, Yass Swimming Pool and Yass Ambulance Station became memorials to the fallen.
Anzac Day services
Dawn service
At 5.45am at the Yass Cenotaph in front of the Yass Soldiers Memorial Hall. The service will be followed by a gunfire breakfast at the Yass Soldiers Club for a gold donation that will support Yass/Boorowa Legacy war widows.
The march
At 10.30am from the Club House Hotel to the Yass Cenotaph. The Gallipoli Company RMC-Duntroon, historical military vehicles, Canberra Celtic Pipe Band, local schools and community groups will join the march.
Main service
At 11am at the Yass Cenotaph in front of the Yass Soldiers Memorial Hall. The service will be followed by Anzac Day lunch at the Yass Soldiers Club at a cost of $30 per head (book through the club).
