Northern Midlands RSL sub-branch secretary Brian Harper said quiet preparation was underway for about 12 months in the lead-up to Saturday.

"I think from the bottom-up, we've put a lot of work into the schools, into the community groups and the community itself," Mr Harper said.

"The reports I've got from around the district, everywhere this morning, the numbers were up - involvement was up.

"We won't get what we got this year [for 2016], but we'll get three-quarters of them."

Northern Midlands mayor David Downie said he attended the Longford 6am and Bishopsbourne 11am services.

"I thought they were all excellent and very well attended," Cr Downie said.

"Everywhere I went had the biggest crowds, nearly double what they expected.

"At Longford, a lot of people I met had returned to Longford, they wanted to be there for the event."

He also said there had been a "groundswell" of community interest in what Gallipoli stood for.

"Gallipoli symbolises what was a hopeless situation and failure into a huge character-building success," Cr Downie said.

"If you go there, you just shake your head - they should never have gone in there."

He said about 2000 people attended the Longford dawn service.