Female veterans lead the way at East Maitland Anzac service

East Maitland RSL sub-branch secretary Judy Gargosky will be leading the march this year for the first time, and the catafalque party from Singleton School of Infantry will be led by corporal Taylah Gentzen.

Ms Gargosky, who has had two periods of service in the Royal Australian Air Force, said women being leaders at this year's service shows defence is for everyone.

"It shows that there's equal opportunities out there for us, we're not discriminated against in a lot of the areas nowadays, there's still a bit but we're gradually getting there," she said.

Ms Gargosky joined East Maitland RSL sub-branch after past secretary Neil Cromarty spotted her on her own at an Anzac Day service one year.

"It's all thanks to Neil, I came here to Anzac Day one year. He spotted me by myself and said come on back to East Maitland and have a cuppa with us," she said.

"From that day on I ended up joining them and I started learning about advocacy, and John my mentor he's been great, very patient with me through all the years and here I am today in a secretary role, I never thought I'd be doing that."

Ms Gargosky completed a deployment to the Middle East in 2007 and said the experience gave her a whole new perspective on life.

"I was in ground operations over there," she said.

"It's 24/7, you're the centre of everything, everything comes through you there so your finger's on the pulse."

After being medically discharged from the Air Force due to diagnoses of lupus, fibromyalgia and PTSD, Ms Gargosky now focuses her time working as an advocate at the RSL sub-branch.

"That's why now today I assist East Maitland RSL as an advocate, where I assist veterans with their medical claims, and to DBA and get them support," she said.

Ms Gargosky met her husband through the defence force in 1991 when they were both posted to Amberley in Queensland.

Before she decided to join the Air Force in 1989, Mr Gargosky originally planned to join the army, and wanted to get out and travel.

It was fate she ended up at the Air Force, because after enlisting she found out her grandfather had served in the Air Force during WWII.

"He was proud as that I was following on, they came down to my graduation and everything," she said.

The East Maitland Anzac Day dawn service begins at 5.30am (march at 5.20am) and the morning service begins at 9.30am (march at 9.15am) at the East Maitland War Memorial on William Street.