Australian Defence Force helpers in cyclone-ravaged Kalbarri prevented from taking part in Anzac Day march

Members of the Australian Defence Force — a saving grace for many Cyclone Seroja victims in Kalbarri over the past fortnight — were prevented from participating in the town’s Anzac Day march and its salute to emergency responders because of a uniform issue. The move was labelled “disgraceful” and a “kick in the teeth” to community morale in the cyclone-ravaged town. After Army personnel were noticeably absent from the emergency workers and volunteers in the march, claims emerged they had been told to decline the invitation at the last minute because their uniforms were too dirty. A spokeswoman for Defence said ADF personnel, who attended the dawn service, didn’t have their ceremonial uniforms with them to take part in the march. “The ADF’s quick response to the ex-tropical cyclone Seroja meant that personnel understandably brought only essential uniforms to enable them to assist with the recovery efforts and not the service dress required for a ceremonial occasion such as the Anzac Day march at Kalbarri,” she said. “Our members were pleased to attend the public dawn service this morning at Kalbarri, and appreciate the continuous warm welcome from the community.” The spokeswoman said after the dawn service, ADF members returned to the job of continuing to support the cyclone recovery effort. The community applauded other emergency service workers and volunteers in the march, including those from the WA Police Force, Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the SES and St John Ambulance. RSL Kalbarri representative Alex Hack said the decision by the ADF hierarchy beggared belief. “It was preposterous and unbelievable and only minutes before the start of the parade,” he said. “I’ve heard several different reasons, I can’t think of any that would be acceptable … it’s disgraceful.” During his speech, Mr Hack said many people were in the community would be suffering mentally from the cyclone ordeal and urged them to seek a shoulder to lean or cry on. A leader in the local emergency services sector was also angry at the parade ban, saying it was a “kick in the teeth” to a fragile community that was looking forward to expressing its gratitude to all the emergency services who hed helped in the clean-up. In the half hour before the march started, multiple army vehicles were lined up on the main street but by the time the event started they too were gone.