25/04/2026
Anzac Day is more than a date on the calendar.
It is a day to stop, be quiet for a moment, and remember the people behind the history.
The young Australians and New Zealanders who landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Many of them were barely adults. Far from home. Scared. Brave. Human.
But Anzac Day is not only about Gallipoli.
It is about every person who has served, suffered, sacrificed, or never made it home.
It is about those who served in wars, conflicts, peacekeeping missions, and humanitarian operations.
It is about the ones who stood on battlefields.
The ones who worked in hospitals.
The ones who carried stretchers.
The ones who kept people alive.
The ones who came home with injuries people could see.
And the ones who came home carrying things no one else could understand.
Today we remember the nurses, medics, support crews, peacekeepers, and all those whose service may not always be the first thing people picture, but whose sacrifice still mattered deeply.
We remember First Nations servicemen and women, who served this country even during times when this country did not always give them the rights, respect, or recognition they had already earned.
We remember Australians from every background, culture, faith, and community who wore the same uniform, stood beside one another, and carried the same weight.
We remember our New Zealand brothers and sisters.
We remember the families who waited at home, not knowing if the person they loved would return.
We remember the parents who lost children.
The partners who lost their person.
The children who grew up with an empty chair at the table.
The mates who came home without their mates.
We remember those still serving today.
And we remember that behind every name, every medal, every uniform, every march, and every memorial, there was a real person.
Someone with a laugh.
Someone with a family.
Someone with plans.
Someone who was loved.
Someone who mattered.
Anzac Day is not about glorifying war.
It is about understanding the cost of it.
It is about respect.
It is about gratitude.
It is about making sure the people who carried that burden are not only remembered in ceremonies, but remembered as people.
Today, we remember them properly.
Lest we forget.
