Australians have gathered at moving Anzac Day morning services across the country to pay tribute to fallen servicemen and women, as a New Zealand ceremony kicks off with an emotional haka.
Services in every capital began a day of parades and ceremonies 108 years after Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the shores of Gallipoli during World War I.
This year marks 50 years since Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War ended, with more than 500 Australians killed and more than 3,000 servicemen and women injured.
NSW Prime Minister Chris Minns made a solemn appearance as he attended a morning service at Martin Place in Sydney, while New Zealand students performed a haka, a ceremonial Māori war dance, at the Auckland Museum.
The students wore red poppies on their school uniforms, the first flower to bloom on the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium during the First World War.
Students performed the haka outside the Auckland Museum as the sun rose on Anzac Day, as tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders attended emotional morning services to honor fallen servicemen and women
The students wore red poppies pinned to their school uniforms as they performed the ceremonial Māori war dance
Thousands of red poppies bloomed on the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium during World War I
Commemorations in Australia will center around the Australian War Memorial, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will lead tributes during the morning service.
It will be his first Anzac Day speech as Prime Minister since taking the role last year.
“Each Anzac Day, from the grandest monument to the humblest cenotaph, we honor all who have served in our name, and all who serve today,” he said.
“It is a collective act of remembrance, reflection and gratitude – performed by multiple generations of Australians and committed to multiple generations.”
The morning service in Canberra began with the sound of a didgeridoo, played by Second Lieutenant Jordon Bradshaw, piercing the silence for thousands in attendance.
Wreaths were laid in his memory by Governor General David Hurley and New Zealand High Commissioner Annette King.
Governor Margaret Beasley arrives at the Anzac Day service at Martin Place in Sydney
Dozens of colorful wreaths were placed at the Cenotaph during the morning service at Martin Place in Sydney
In Brisbane, Australians of all ages attended a morning service where the Last Post will be played
A young participant in a morning service in Brisbane wore a poncho and made an emotional impression as they paid their respects
In Australia, commemorations will center on the Australian War Memorial, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will lead tributes during the morning service
Ceremonial lanterns, placed in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday night, were carried by veterans and serving members to the war memorial as the reveille was played by a lone bugler.
Mr Albanese said it is important to remember the contribution of defense personnel who have not come home.
“As we gather here, in cities and suburbs across the country, and on former battlefields around the world, we are surrounded by their names and the places that laid their last claim to them, captured in an atlas of grief,” said he. .
“If we really want to honor our veterans, we owe them more than just gratitude. Just as they have stood up for us, we must stand up for them,” he said.
The Prime Minister said it was also important to recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who wore the khaki ‘fought harder for Australia than Australia was willing to fight for them at times’.
‘Still, we are learning and we are always taking steps forward together.’
NSW Prime Minister Chris Minns appeared solemn as he spoke at a morning service at Martin Place in Sydney on Tuesday morning
Prime Minister Chris Minns posed with attendees at the Cenotaph at Sydney’s Martin Place, an empty tomb or monument erected to honor an individual or group of people whose remains are elsewhere
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Anzac Day was one of the most significant dates on the national calendar.
“The values we stand for are more enduring than any conflict, as long as we – like our ancestors – have the courage and commitment to always defend them,” he said.
This year’s Anzac Day march in Canberra also marks 30 years of Australian peacekeeping efforts in Somalia.
The march will feature more than 120 veterans who served as part of Operation Solace.
Among them will be Governor General David Hurley, who commanded 1RAR battalion group during the operation.
The Governor General will lead the march and then serve as a controlling officer for the participating troops.
This year Anzac Day also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the end of Australian involvement in the Vietnam War.
More than 500 Australians died in the conflict and more than 3,000 were injured.
Services will also be held on the occasion of Anzac Day in France, Papua New Guinea and Turkey.
In New Zealand, thousands of Kiwis have spent their mornings at dozens of morning services, from Kaitaia in the north to Invercargill in the frigid south.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, commemorating his first Anzac Day as New Zealand’s leader, spent his morning at his local morning service in northern Wellington.
Mr. Hipkins said he would keep his two grandfathers in mind.
“My mother’s father was a signalman in the Air Force,” he said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, commemorating his first Anzac Day as New Zealand’s leader, spent his morning at his local morning service in northern Wellington
A poppy is placed on the memorial statue during the morning service at the Civic Center in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, on Tuesday
“And my father’s father was away from home from Greece to Italy to J Force for a very long period of time during World War II,” he said, referring to the name given to the NZ forces in occupied Japan.
“The lifelong impact that had on both of my grandfathers is something I have never underestimated.
‘I think of them on Anzac Day. I think many Kiwis will feel the same way.
“They will think of their grandparents or great-grandparents and the enormous sacrifices they made to allow us to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy every day.”