Commemorating a different Anzac Day and living life to the full

They will deliver the poppies and biscuits to the doorway of each of the 71 villas, ready for Anzac Day on Saturday, when as many residents as possible will come outside and stand in their driveway for a minute's silence at 11am.

"I'm going to be up one end in my car and will give a blast of the horn for the start of the minute and a guy at the other end will be in his car and give a blast from his car for the end of the minute," Mrs Bird said.

Anzac Day 2020 will forever be remembered as something almost otherworldly, the likely near-perfect autumn weather, the clear skies and that magical stillness, marked by an absence of marches, gatherings, slaps on the back in the pub or the club, that special oneness of standing in the dark, together, at the dawn service at the War Memorial.

The shutdown and social distancing forced by the coronavirus pandemic means this year we are commemorating Anzac Day together, alone.

It's people like Mrs Bird who are thinking creatively to ensure Anzac Day is not forgotten, nor those who served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

"It's a day to remember all of those who fought for us and gave us the country we have today," she said.

Mrs Bird believes the current pandemic does not come close to a war.

"I think the pandemic is nature's way of controlling the population, it's nothing like a war. I think with a war, we had no control over our enemy. With the pandemic, we can control the enemy, through our behaviour, washing our hands, keeping our distance."

Mrs Bird does have a poignant connection to the Great War.

"My uncle died in the First World War, Uncle Andrew, and he was very, very fondly remembered by my mum. So much so, that I called one of my sons Andrew," she said.

Andrew Bird, a Canberra bus driver and advocate for organ donation, very sadly, died in 2008, aged 41, just six months after receiving a double lung transplant at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. He had suffered from coronary obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mrs Bird's husband, Des, died last September. He was a manufacturer's agent in Fyshwick. They had five children, and there are now seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

They moved from Farrer to Marigal Gardens 18 months ago. Her villa overlooks the trees of the Kambah Adventure Park. Residents joke they're on the village's version of Mugga Way.

A public servant for 21 years, mostly in the Magistrates Court, Mrs Bird says she is making concessions during the pandemic but never failing to keep busy. The residents recently had a race day, dressing up in hats and having a tipple, while watching the races, distanced from each other, on their phones.

READ MORE:

"I'm self-isolating, shopping online, using WhatsApp and Skype to speak to my grandchildren who are interstate, walking for an hour every day with my dog in the park," Mrs Bird said.

"People talk about being bored. I'm like, 'What's bored?'."