Anzac sacrifice commemorated at dawn services Media Man Int

Anzac sacrifice commemorated at dawn services - 25th April 2013
(ABC News)

Profiles

Tens of thousands of Australians have attended dawn services around the country to commemorate Anzac Day and pay tribute to soldiers who fought and died in war.

The services mark the 98th anniversary of the first landings by Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli in 1915.

At this moment I am proud ... Proud of my mates' service and the sacrifices we all make in order to serve.

Thousands gathered at war memorials in towns and cities across Australia for the commemorations, which began before first light.

A record crowd of more than 30,000 people gathered in freezing conditions on the steps of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, while 45,000 turned up for services in Melbourne and thousands more in Sydney.

Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith addressed Canberra's dawn service at the War Memorial.

He read out letters from serving soldiers, including one who is deployed to Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

"At this moment I am proud. Proud of my wife and her efforts back home. Proud of my country. Proud of my mates' service, and the sacrifices we all make in order to serve," he read.

"As the unmistakable thud of the chook [Chinook] taking off resonates out across the airfield I close my eyes and say a prayer for the team heading out, and wish them well as they head in to the darkness."

Prime Minister Julia Gillard joined about 15,000 people in commemorations at Townsville.

It is the first time in more than 50 years a prime minister has attended a dawn service in the north Queensland city.

She laid a wreath as the crowd reflected on the seven soldiers who lost their lives since last Anzac Day.

It was a sombre reflection for the garrison city, which is home to one of Australia's biggest Defence communities.

Wing Commander George Hodgson told the crowd the Defence personnel are worthy of our thanks and gratitude.

"We not only honour those who have died to protect our way of life, but we also honour those were wounded physically and emotionally and those who have stayed at home to support personnel in operations," he said.

"We honour those friends and family who continue to support personnel after they return."

Ms Gillard is also attending the city's Anzac Day parade.

In Sydney, hundreds of ex- and serving soldiers and their families have marched from Martin Place down George Street and onto Hyde Park, while similar marches have taken place in Canberra and other towns and cities.

In Canberra, the 102,000 Australians who have died in war were remembered in a solemn ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Governor-General Quentin Bryce has used her Anzac Day message to pay tribute to the toughness and compassion of Australian servicemen and women, past and present.

Ms Bryce is spending the day in Papua New Guinea visiting World War II battlefields and cemeteries.

She said her time spent with veterans and serving ADF members had enabled her to see close up the strong and determined nature of those who enlisted for Australia.

"I have seen it over and over again in Tarin Kot, Kandahar, Timor Leste, the Solomons - toughness, mateship, teamwork," she said.

"I see it too in our veterans, always positive, always courteous, sometimes a little cheeky. And I like that."

Ashley Ekins from the Australian War Memorial says the day is growing in significance, particularly with the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign fast approaching.

"These days, I suspect that with many people recovering their own family history - you can now get a full service record of a World War I soldier online - they now have more meaning, they might start to recover a much more significant meaning for people today," he said.

"People are more immersed in this than I think we have ever been. I've seen this grow over the past two decades, and now it's really coming to a national interest right around the country."