Greyhound will offer free travel to war veterans to assist their participation at dawn services around Australia on Anzac Day
April 4, 2011
Australia’s war veterans and widows will have the opportunity to travel to Anzac Day celebrations for free on April 24, 25 and 26 with support from Greyhound Australia.
Chief Operating Officer Tony Hopkins says this is the fourth year the national coach company had offered the free service across its entire network so the country’s war heroes and widows could attend Anzac Day commemoration ceremonies, share memories and catch up throughout Australia.
“Greyhound is proud to be able to offer a free ride to the people who have served in the defence of peace and liberty for all Australians and the brave women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country when their husbands who went to war,” Hopkins says.
“We hold a deep respect and appreciation for our veterans and this is just a small way of saying thank you for doing so much to protect our way of life.”
He says the offer is open to all Australian veterans who have served in Iraq, East Timor, Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaya, Japan, the Pacific Islands, Africa or Europe.
“It also doesn’t matter where they live, be it Katherine or Melbourne, if they want to go to one of the 1100 destinations Greyhound services daily to attend a specific Anzac Day parade and reconnect with old friends we will get them there for free,” says Hopkins.
He says the Anzac Day promotion was a natural fit for the company and one which held a special place in all Greyhound employees’ hearts.
“Greyhound is well and truly Australian. It has been around for more than a hundred years and has seen the highs and lows of nationhood including war,” Hopkins says.
“From taking troops to ships bound for overseas tours of duty, to transporting soldiers to reinforce our borders when bombed, Greyhound has done it all.”
Greyhound will again work with the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) this year to organise the Anzac Day special.
War veterans and widows can secure their free travel by booking via Greyhound’s national call centre on ‘1300 GREYHOUND’ (1300 473 946) and introducing themselves as a ‘veteran’ or a ‘veteran’s widow’.