TRANSCRIPT:
Across our nation, the ode rang clear in the morning air, as thousands attended Anzac Day services to commemorate those who have served the nation.
Air Vice-Marshal Glen Braz of the Royal Australian Air Force has described them as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
"Let us never forget who they really were. They were ordinary young Australians who were asked to act with unthinkable courage in the face of unimaginable horror."
In Canberra, where 32,000 people came for the dawn service, Aboriginal woman and serving Sergeant Tina Haywood has paid her respects to the fallen.
"I honour those who came before me. I honour you here today, and I lay the pathways for those who'll be here, who will be here after I go."
Similar services were held in towns and major cities across the country.
In excess of 10,000 people bowed their heads at the early morning Sydney service, where about 8000 serving members and veterans marched.
There were more than 40,000 people at Melbourne's dawn service, with about 10,000 others later taking part in the march.
Victoria Governor Margaret Gardner told the crowd that the day serves as a reminder of the tragedies of war.
"We are here to promise to remember the human cost of conflict before we ever return to that parallel world of war."
In Queensland, the numbers of people attending was estimated to have reached somewhere between 12 and 15,000.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton was among those at the Brisbane Dawn Service.
He has said Australians continue to be characterised by the Anzac spirit since the first World War in all the places they have served since.
"It was noted that Australians came from every social strata. During the next four catastrophic years of the first world war, Australians and New Zealanders exemplified bravery in battle, mateship in mayhem, and endurance in extremis. This spirit, the Anzac spirit, emerged in the tragedy of Gallipoli. In the fires of war, Australians carried out incredible work, and they carved out a national character."
In the Northern Territory, people gathered on the outskirts of Alice Springs.
The ceremony commenced with a traditional gunfire breakfast, followed by the Dawn Service at the war memorial.
Senior Arrernte and Anmatjere woman Pat Ansell-Dodds was there to pay her respects to her father who served in the Australian Defence Force in the 1940s.
She has told the ABC at that time he wasn't recognised as an Australian citizen, like many others from Alice Springs who served.
"He used to take me and he used to march in the street and go up Anzac hill. A lot of the fellas were from Alice Springs and the Northern Territory. And they didn't have any rights but they went and did it."
Events for Anzac Day have also been held overseas, in Turkiye, France, Malaysia, Port Moresby, and Hellfire Pass in Thailand.
Minister for Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh attended the Dawn Service in the French town of Villers-Bretonneux, one of the key World War I battlefields.
Mr Keogh has told Sky News a significant contingent of Australians were present at all of these international services.
"Gallipoli this year will have about 1800 people and here in Villers-Bretonneux will have over 2200, which is the most that we have seen since 2018, which was the centenary of the battle here. So it's great to see Australians still turning out in droves, showing their commitment to honour their family members that fought here, and all Australians that fought here, but not just here, all around the globe."
Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Marles spoke at the Dawn Service at Gallipoli to commemorate the 109th anniversary since the landing of the Anzac soldiers on the Turkish shores.
Mr Marles reflected on the enduring legacy of their tragic battle.
"Almost 9000 Australians lost their lives here in Gallipoli, 60,000 across the entirety of World War I. This was a scar which has rippled across the ages and down through the generations in so many ways and that too forms part of the spirit of Anzac."
Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese has met with veterans and currently serving officers in Townsville after returning from an Anzac Day dawn service in Papua New Guinea.
The Prime Minister has said it's an honour to celebrate their service.
"It's been a real honour to spend some time here in Townsville. It's such an important city for the Australian Defence Force and the men and women who serve in uniform deserve our thanks each and every day. And no day is more important than today."
