Veterans were among Sydneysiders targeted by overzealous parking officers before dawn on Anzac Day, says NSW RSL President Don Rowe says.
Drivers parked near the Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain early on Wednesday morning so they could attend the Sydney CBD dawn service.
But at least ten of them returned to their cars to discover fine notices had been tucked under their windscreen wipers.
"If people are there that early, on that morning, it is obvious they are there for the dawn service," Mr Rowe told AAP on Friday.
"I am disappointed that the people who issued these fines must have thought: 'Here we go, this is a great opportunity to rack up some revenue'."
But a spokeswoman for the Botanic Gardens said the fines were in breach of its policy and were issued by private security agents on duty before 6.30am (AEST) and not Gardens rangers.
She said they had since been cancelled.
"It is a really unfortunate thing and we are really sorry," she told AAP.
"We do not issue fines during the dawn service and obviously the lines of communication got crossed."
Mr Rowe said families who travelled long distances to the CBD could be discouraged from attending early morning services if they felt they needed to leave the car at home.
The City of Sydney, which polices parking areas elsewhere in the CBD, had rangers on duty this Anzac Day but did not issue any fines, a spokesman said.
The council reduces parking meter rates for the public holiday and provides dedicated parking, as well as special taxi layover and parking zones to transport and pick up veterans in the Anzac Day march.
