While Forster-Tuncurry's traditional dawn and morning Anzac Day services will not go ahead this Saturday, residents of numerous streets have expressed their willingness to take part in the proposed driveway vigils being held across Australia.
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Forster resident, Tracey Horn, said her and her neighbours on Calamas Place would all be standing in their driveways with candles at 6am to uphold the tradition of paying their respects to the fallen.
"We're hoping to get our hands on some Australian flags," Ms Horn said.
"We wanted to pay our respects and do something as a street."
Ms Horn said while it was unfortunate not to be able to commemorate Anzac Day in the traditional way this year, she believed the driveway vigil was nevertheless a good opportunity to get out of the house and show some community spirit while adhering to the rules of social distancing.
"Everyone should be doing it and paying their respects," she said.
"I'd love to see every street in Forster and Tuncurry do it."
Related: Anzac Day march attracts huge crowd
Forster-Tuncurry RSL Sub-Branch secretary, Bob McCallum, said he and his neighbours in Karloo Street, Forster would also be paying their respects at 6am.
"We're going to line the streets with poppies," Mr McCallum said.
With recordings of 'The Last Post' and 'Reveille' also set to be played on the street, Mr McCallum said he and his neighbours were intent on commemorating the occasion as authentically as they could under the less than ideal circumstances.
"I know all our veterans are upset about it," Mr McCallum said.
"It's like a therapy for us."
Forster-Tuncurry RSL Sub-Branch president, Cecil Miller, said he understood the disappointment a lot of people felt, but given the crowds Anzac Day services inevitably attracted and the ongoing risk of coronavirus, cancelling the occasion was the sensible thing to do.
"If we were still gathering in those numbers it wouldn't be safe for the community," Mr Miller said.
But he encouraged people to take part in the driveway vigil and hoped it would attract a strong response from the local community.
"In their own individual way, people can acknowledge the efforts of the diggers who went away to war," Mr Miller said.
"It's a mark of respect. Even though we're in lockdown, we still enjoy a freedom and way of life that a lot of people around the world don't enjoy."
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