Snapshot in Time: Geraldton’s first Anzac Day outdoor service was held at Lester Square in 1932

Before Birdwood House was built, local Anzac Day services were held at the old Geraldton Town Hall on Chapman Road, which is now home to the art gallery.

Very much like modern times, commemorations included a march, followed by a combined service and hymns, patriotic speeches and wreath laying.

Over the years, attendance numbers grew steadily filling the hall to capacity and on April 25, 1932, local commemorations shifted to the outdoors in Geraldton for the first time.

After a procession from the couthouse, the service was held at Lester Square, a new children’s playground on the corner of Gregory and Augustus streets.

There were more than 1500 people in attendance — noting the town’s population at this time was only around 4000 people, meaning almost one in four locals turned up to pay their respects.

In recent years, Geraldton’s dawn service has attracted a crowd of about 5000 — more than 10 per cent of the city’s estimated population of 40,000.

The first dawn service in Geraldton was held in 1934.

Birdwood House was built in 1935, becoming the city’s first permanent home for the RSL and its preceding associations.