24/04/2026
ANZAC Day isn’t just about history, it’s about people.
Over the last 25 years, more than 50 Australian soldiers have lost their lives serving overseas, in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and East Timor. But alongside that, over 60,000 Australians have served in overseas operations during that same time. They weren’t just numbers, they were sons, daughters, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, and mates. Ordinary Australians who stepped up when their country called.
I honestly can’t pretend to understand what it feels like to lose a mum, dad, brother, sister, or a close mate to a modern war. To get that call, to hear that news, to have your whole world shift in a single moment, it’s something most of us will never truly comprehend.
But you can feel the weight of it, the emptiness it leaves behind, the birthdays missed, the milestones that never happen, the quiet moments that hit the hardest. My heart genuinely goes out to anyone who has had to carry that kind of loss, because it doesn’t just take one life, it changes so many forever.
But ANZAC Day stretches far beyond the last 25 years.
It goes back to the Gallipoli campaign, where young Australians landed on foreign shores and forged something that still defines us today, the ANZAC spirit. Courage in the face of the unknown, mateship that meant never leaving anyone behind, resilience when everything was stacked against them. It carried through World War II, through Korea, Vietnam, and every deployment since.
But it’s also about those who served closer to home. From conflicts and defence of Australia itself, to modern-day operations protecting our region and borders, there have always been Australians willing to stand up when called upon. Not every story happened on distant battlefields, but every one still mattered.
That ANZAC spirit didn’t stay in the past. You still see it today. In the way Australians look out for each other, in times of crisis, in mates helping mates without being asked, in that quiet toughness and willingness to step up when it matters most.
There have been different wars and different generations, but all with the same spirit.
Tomorrow isn’t about politics. It’s about people. It’s about remembering those who didn’t come home, those who did and were never the same, and the families who carry that weight every single day.
Take a moment tomorrow, however you choose, to remember them.
Lest we forget.