Anzac Day 2023 in Canberra: Australian War Memorial service attracts thousands

They stood in silence in the chill under a clear starlit sky to hear the Prime Minister speak of the contribution of Indigenous Australians to the defence of the country.

In his commemorative address, Anthony Albanese talked of "acknowledging the truth" that they had fought harder for Australia than the country had always acknowledged.

In a quiet but moving speech, he said that Australians gathered at dawn because that was the time of day when the Australian and New Zealand forces had landed at Gallipoli on the Turkish coast on this day in 1915.

Those soldiers demonstrated the "simple truth of Australians looking out for each other," Mr Albanese said.

He reminded the gathered thousands at the Memorial (estimated by organisers as more than 30,000 people) as well as those watching on TV that every death was a tragedy for a family.

"Every death at Gallipoli was like a sapling torn out of the earth," Mr Albanese said.

He cited the war memorials around Australia, calling them "an atlas of grief".

The less formal part of the ceremony at the war memorial started about 5am when young soldiers read out the personal testimonies of their predecessors who had died - and some who had survived - in battle.

Their quiet and dignified testimonies were anything but a glorification of war.

Rather, they were depictions of the reality of battle in conflicts from World War I, right through to Afghanistan.

The words rang out in the Canberra night.

"It was kill or be killed. They were trying to kill me so I had no remorse," were the words of one veteran read out by a young soldier.

"The one thing I noticed was that after the battle they weren't kids anymore," was another testimony recited by a currently serving member of the Defence Force.

After these recited testimonies, there were 10 minutes of pause before the main, formal ceremony. The words lingered in the pin-drop silence.

That silence was broken by the mournful growl of a digeridoo and the main service proceeded. The haunting call was played by Sub-Lieutenant Jordon Bradshaw of the Royal Australian Navy.

It was a Christian service (as it has been for the past century or so) but the chaplain said he hoped the prayer would resonate with people of all faiths.

Wreaths were laid by the Governor-General and the High Commissioner of New Zealand. A bugler played the Last Post and Reveille, with the minute's silence between.

Chaplain James Cox, the director general of the chaplaincy service in the RAAF, said: "We who are gathered here in this dawn vigil remember with gratitude the men and women who have given all that is their to give in order that the world may be a nobler place in which to live."

"And with them, we remember those left behind to bear the sorrow of their loss," he said.

Immediately after, in the light of a cold day, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commemoration took place.

For the first 23 of its 25 years, it's been held on the slope of Mount Ainslie.

Now it takes place at the striking new "pavilion" designed by the Aboriginal artist Dan Boyd. The structure has holes in the walls which filter the sun into patterns inside which change with the colours of the day. The result is a poignant dappled effect - magical even.

The master of ceremonies Garth O'Connell, said that the move from the mountain happened after some veterans had said they found reaching the previous site too difficult. But the move to the grounds of the Memorial itself seemed to have symbolism to it as a move from the shadows.

The Veterans' March, was led and reviewed by Governor-General David Hurley. More than a thousand veterans were to march up Anzac Parade and onto the grounds of the Australian War Memorial.

Two hours later, the Governor-General marched with veterans of the first battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment which he commanded in Somalia 30 years ago.

Veteran Dr Bob Worswick, who was a platoon commander in the same battalion, said it was important to recognise Australia's contribution to the peacekeeping mission in the country which was riven by famine and civil war.

"Somalia was Australia's first operational deployment of an infantry battalion since Vietnam. It was significant because it provided important lessons for subsequent peacekeeping missions," Dr Worswick said.

The veteran, who served in Somalia, East Timor, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan said it was important to participate in the march.

"Recognising service is a really big thing in the military, and this sort of national remembrance is important for every generation of veterans," he said.

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