Every Anzac Day, we pause to carve out a sacred moment from the routines of daily life and, in solemnity and pride, come together as a nation to acknowledge our debt to Australians who have gone to war in our name.
At war memorials across our continent, from the biggest cities to the smallest country town, Australians begin gathering before first light. We gather in respect and reflection, gratitude and reverence. And we gather in every corner of the world made hallow by the sacrifice of our fallen – from Kokoda to the Western Front to the Dardanelles.
One hundred and eleven years after the first Gallipoli landing, Anzac Day not only retains its hold on our hearts, it is alive and thriving thanks to a new generation, their imaginations seized by the gravity of all that was asked of Australians no older than them. Some are descendants, but many are not. Yet whether or not the branches of their family trees bear relatives in uniform, young Australians carry within them a connection to Anzac Day, instinctively grasping how central it is to our shared identity as a people and a nation.
Even as the lives of so many of those we commemorate recede ever farther into history, it is a connection with an emotional power that shows no signs of diminishing.
And so we gather, and we think back to those Diggers huddled in their boats in the hushed darkness before that distant dawn. From that most fateful of shores, Anzac Day has come to stand for generations of Australians who have served. It holds within it a universe of stories told in flesh and blood, in courage and fear, in resilience and camaraderie. Stories written in deserts and jungles, in cities and villages, in burning skies and seas and mud, in the ferocity of battle and the cruelty of prison camps.
These are stories told in letters home, and in the tragic eloquence of letters that stopped coming. We find them in diaries that remain as alive today as when they were written, and as heartbreaking when they suddenly fall into the silent finality of empty pages. Whether we’re at dawn services or watching the marches, we remember all who were lost and everyone they left behind. We remember all who lived to keep fighting and all who finally made it home, but with the battle raging forever in their hearts. We reflect on all on they went through and all they were up against, and we give thanks for the difference they made just when the world needed it most.
It is story that continues to be written every single day. We give thanks to our veterans and for all you have given. We thank all Australians serving now, and we thank your families, who know both the pride and the burden.
Time and time again, Australians at war have embodied all that is greatest in our national character. Even in the darkest depths of war, our soldiers, sailors and aviators have kept aglow the light of mateship, humour, compassion and fairness. And through the sheer power of their example, they have reminded us that even when peace is at its most elusive, it is always worth fighting for. The years keep marching on relentlessly, yet just as time does not stop, neither do we. We keep tending the flame of memory, ensuring that it keeps burning so brightly that its glow touches generations to come. And we give thanks for the light of every bright dawn that was their promise to us.
Lest we forget.
This opinion piece was first published in The Australian on Saturday, 25 April 2026.