Anzac Day Dawn Service, Geelong, Victoria

Can I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respect to elders past and present. 

Can I acknowledge Mark Lee, the President of the Geelong sub-branch for the RSL, Chris Couzens, the state Member for Geelong, Stretch Kontelj, the Mayor of Geelong and councilors Eddy Kontelj and Ron Nelson and all the distinguished guests who are with us this morning, 

On this 111th anniversary of the landing of the Australian, New Zealand Army Corps on the beaches of Gallipoli, our world is both challenging and volatile. 

And it feels as though all of us are in a search for predictability and certainty, for a system, an order, even an idea, upon which we can rely. 

As we gather this morning to remember the 103,000 Australians who gave their lives wearing our nation's uniform, it is well to reflect upon their example. 

While each lived in a different version of Australia, separated by time and place all of them and each of us have a common experience, of a country in which we have a deep commitment to our fellow citizen, of a national character which can find humor in the face of great adversity, the fierce spirit of egalitarianism, of a deep sense of mateship. 

All of this goes to the heart of the idea of Australia. 

And it was an idea which called them to service.

It was an idea which sustained them as they met their faith. 

It was an idea for which they died.

It’s an idea which is embodied in their sacrifice for all of us. 

So on this Anzac Day, as we acknowledge each and every one of them and all of those who have served in the Australian Defence Force, let us all recommit to the idea of Australia, which, in a darkening world, remains our guiding light. 

Lest we forget. 

ENDS