Her daughter, Chief Petty Officer Noelene Brennan and her grandson Chief Petty Officer Don Blackley returned to Goulburn for Anzac Day, along with Don’s mother Christine Firth. 

Mrs Firth lives in Bundaberg, so she drove to Brisbane and flew from there to be in Canberra as well, so it had been a long haul for all three of them. 

The three generations of the family gathered to acknowledge over 45 years of service in the armed forces. 

Mrs McCarthy, aged 94, said she enjoyed them all coming home to visit and they had a lot of fun together. 

“I look forward to it each year,” she said.

“We have a lot of fun. We are all just big kids together.”

Her daughter, Chief Petty Officer Noelene Brennan has notched up 34 years in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). 

She has served at various naval establishments along on the eastern seaboard and is currently based at Based in HMAS Morton in Brisbane. 

“Ever since I joined the Navy in 1984, I have come back to Goulburn to march every year with the exception of two years that I had operational commitments elsewhere,” Chief Petty Officer Brennan said. 

“I will continue to come here - this is where I was brought up and it is something that we used to share with dad (Leo McCarthy) from a young age. Leo served in the army at Rabaul in WWII.

“We shared many Anzac Days together because it was always important to him. Since he has passed away, I have continued on that tradition with mum.”

Chief Petty Officer Don Blackley has served 15 years in the navy. He is based at HMAS Stirling in Perth. 

“I have been in the navy for 15 years, with most of that time spent on ships in Sydney. I have served on HMAS Newcastle and Melbourne among others,” he said. 

“These ships have taken me to many parts of the world.”

There was a massive turnout for the main Anzac Day commemoration service in Belmore Park.

Goulburn RSL Sub Branch president Gordon Wade welcomed the crowd, saying: “Today we honour those gallant men and women who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country as well as those who are still serving.”

“May their sacrifice not be in vain - we will remember them,” he said. 

Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Bob Kirk congratulated all the participants and community members for being there in such numbers.

Captain Dean Commons from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) delivered the main address. 

He said it was a particularly important year as it marked the 100th anniversary year of the cessation of hostilities in WWI. He detailed various achievements of the RAN in his speech.

Rev Norman Wakefield led the crowd in prayer, followed by a minute’s silence. Many groups laid wreaths before the ceremony closed.