School's first Anzac service

Ipswich Adventist Church and Vietnam veteran Tony Fryer and Ipswich Adventist School Captain Danika Poland are getting ready for the school's first Anzac Day service.

Rob Williams

ANZAC Day can be an emotional time for Vietnam War veteran Tony Fryer.

The retired serviceman served 25 years in the Australian Army Infantry, including a one-year stint as a radio operator based at Nui Dat.

As the only retired serviceman among the Ipswich Adventist Church congregation, Mr Fryer was the obvious choice to oversee the Ipswich Adventist School's first Anzac Day dawn service after the school unveiled its memorial in November last year.

He said the day was a chance to remember the many mates who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and to swap tall tales with other veterans.

“It is the one day that seems to reunite people who have been there and experienced the same thing,” Mr Fryer said.

“Whether it is World War II or Korea, veterans seem quite happy to talk about what happened with other veterans.

“It is a chance to sit and reminisce.”

The Brassall service will be held from 4.27am at the school in Hunter Street.

Traditional dawn services will be also held at Bundamba, Goodna, Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Redbank and Rosewood.