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The guest speaker who is on the Geurie Honour Roll came back to pay tribute to the village's Anzacs."There's a cost to being an Australian, one that is past present and future," he said.-

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"The past has already been paid by the men and women who were prepared to defend our freedom."We all know the story of the horrific failed campaign at Gallipoli 100 years ago today.-

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Ill planned by war lords safely tucked away in England, it came at a terrible cost to many nations, but unknowingly helped forge Australia's and New Zealand's identity."-

"It was what Australia is today. It made Australia."-

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"Australia will be mentioned a lot today, but we should never forget our Kiwi mates were with us then and are still with us today.-

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Peter McFarlane joined the Australian Army when he was 17 and served for 21 years, also serving another 3 years in the Army Reserve.-

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He served in Malaya for two years, in Vietnam for one year and Papua New Guinea for two years and attained the rank of warrant officer class 2.-

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After 30 years of involvement in local RSL at Ingleburn, he was presented with a life membership.Back at Geurie he spoke about Simpson and his donkey and the many others at war who selflessly risked their own lives to save the lives of others. -

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The honour roll at the Australian War Memorial gives the figure of Australians killed in action since federation as 102, 328.-

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Mr McFarlane said that to put that figure into perspective, it is almost the total population of the towns of Dubbo, Wongarbon, Geurie, Wellington, Molong, Orange, Lucknow and Bathurst combined.-

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Geurie Public School made poppies for the special Anzac display in the Geurie Memorial Hall, which will available all week (to find out more, search Geurie Memorial Hall on Facebook).-

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The display features many interesting stories and items including the memorial medals of Charles and Bill Konza.-

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