This year marks the centenary of the end of World War I, or the Great War, when the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
It was hoped then that it had been the war to end all wars.
However history has shown that hundreds of thousands of Australians have continued to serve our nation in conflicts throughout the world.
Anzac Day provides all with an opportunity to publicly acknowledge all of those who have served, and the men and women who are currently serving our nation.
It’s not that long ago that people wondered whether Anzac Day would continue after all those men and women who had served in World War I and II had passed away.
Their numbers had been slowly dwindling at the annual marches as the decades rolled on.
But Australians have a deep cultural understanding of the significance of Anzac Day.
At Gallipoli there were 26,111 Australian casualties, including 8,709 deaths.
Across World War I, out of a population of less than five million, 61,522 Australians lost their lives.
That would be like having more than 300,000 service personnel leaving our shores today never to return.
It’s almost impossible to imagine that level of human suffering and destruction and we cannot help but be deeply moved by their selfless sacrifice.
We now enjoy our freedoms because they put their lives on the line to defend it.
That’s why so many people continue to be moved by the Anzac spirit and attend Anzac Day commemorations.
It’s why the Australian War Memorial is a place of such significance, why schools teach our wartime history, why families pass down their stories through the generations and why we support Legacy.
And that’s why from Rockdale and Brighton in the north to Woronora and Bundeena in the south people gathered throughout St George and Sutherland Shire to pay their respects to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Stories of selflessness, mateship, courage and determination were common themes at many of the dawn services today.
Lest we forget.
