Commemorating Anzac Day

The service was unlike any that I had gone to; the beautiful Albany landscape surrounding the striking memorial in the middle made for an extremely moving and emotional service. I was also fortunate enough to wear the World War One medals of my great great-grandfather for the service, something that made me feel extremely proud and honoured. At the conclusion of the service, we ran into Captain Aaron Porebski, a tour alumni from the very first Premier's Anzac Tour group in 2004. Aaron told us how the tour had influenced him, and how he had actually joined the armed forces because of that influence.

The Dawn Service was a beautiful commemoration to the colossal, and ultimate sacrifice many Australians and New Zealanders have made to protect the bastions of liberty and freedom we call home. As the horizon radiated intense orange behind us, the formal proceedings ended with a most moving tribute. The service was easily the greatest I have ever attended, and the local community, after the gunfire breakfast, gathered to march down York Street. As we entered the Peace Park on the edge of the Princess Royal Harbour, the scale of the event really came into play, and it was moving to see so many people gathered, united, equal, and unwavering in dedication to assuring not just that we, the Australian people, never forgot the sacrifice and horror of war but also commit to remembering the invaluable lessons history has to teach us all.