THOUSANDS of people have gathered in Belmore Park before sunrise to commemorate Anzac Day.
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The skirl of bagpipes from the Goulburn Soldiers Club Pipes & Drums band set the scene for the sombre occasion in the pre-dawn fog, followed by an opening prayer and laying of wreaths.
Goulburn High School captain Jemma Frost addressed the dawn service, which highlighted the war efforts of the home front, including the contribution of Goulburn's own boot-makers, Baxters.
Linda Wade read 'Gallipoli', a poem written by Staff Sergeant Sydney Bolitho of the 6th Battalion Australian Imperial Force (AIF) while serving in the trenches at Gaba Tepe in May 1915.
Goulburn RSL Sub Branch president Gordon Wade then read the Ode as, faintly, the musical warble of Belmore Park's magpies heralded the growing light, the Last Post, the Reveille, and the anthem.
The crowds stood silent before being welcomed to share in breakfast at the Soldiers Club, as the Goulburn Soldiers Club Pipes & Drums band closed proceedings with a short musical salute.
Some continued on to a commemoration at the War Graves section of the Goulburn Lawn Cemetery.
Many will return at 10.30am to form up in Auburn St for the march back into Belmore Park at 11am, when commemorations will continue in honour of the community's contribution to war efforts.
The march will be streamed on the internet and placed on YouTube, thanks to Alex Ferrara from The Goulburn Group and Telstra's donation of a dongle. Mulwaree High School student Jacqui Lieschke will deliver the main address at the official proceedings in Belmore Park after 11am.
A lunch by invitation at the Goulburn Soldiers Club for veterans and personnel will start from noon; and several venues around the city will host Two-Up: run by Legacy at the Goulburn Soldiers Club, 3-8pm, with a $2 door donation; at the Gordon Hotel, 1-6pm, and the Hibernian Hotel, 2-5pm.
The evening also promises something special, with an evening service at Rocky Hill at 5.30pm.
The evening service, open to all, features the RSL Rural Commemorative Youth Choir, directed by O.J. Rushton, with original and war time songs. Flags set to half-mast will bring an end to the day.