Nat Barr tears up at Anzac Day ceremony over touching moment between veterans

Perth Now

25-04-2025

Sunrise host Nat Barr confessed she had to fight back tears during a touching moment at the Anzac Day dawn service in Currumbin, Queensland.
Barr spoke of the touching moment two veterans put their arms around each other during the ceremony commemorating Australian veterans.
During the Hot Topics segment with reporters Steve Titmus and Amanda Abate on Sunrise, Barr recounted the emotional moment.
'If you watched the service this morning, and it will be repeated throughout the next couple of days, we all have a moment where we've teared up,' Barr said.
'Mine was when an elderly gentleman put an arm around another and you could tell he was crying because of the memories coming back. Those are the sort of things we need to teach our kids.' Nat Barr appeared on Sunrise on Friday, broadcasting from the Currumbin Anzac Day ceremony. Credit: Seven
Earlier in the segment, the trio discussed new research commissioned by Newspoll, which showed Gen Z Aussies have a lack of emotional connection to Anzac Day.
Gen Z Australians are typically defined as individuals born between 1997 and 2012.
In a survey of 1118 Aussies, 20 per cent admitted they don't value the contributions made by Australian veterans, while one in four don't feel a connection to Anzac Day.
The same research revealed almost a third of Aussies incorrectly believe veterans are exclusively those who served in combat, ignoring roles in areas like humanitarian aid and disaster recovery.
Barr questioned Titmus and Abate over the findings, prompting both to call for young people to be better educated about the contribution of the Anzacs. Nat Barr spoke of a touching moment at the Anzac Day ceremony. Credit: Seven
Both Barr and Titmus were surprised by the findings.
'I think it shows there is a decrease from the pride in our nation and there is a decrease in the lack of respect for what people have done in the past,' Titmus said.
'I think that is at the crux of it ... (But I think) it is great to see the AFL football and NBL are still having bumper days as far as Anzac Day is concerned.
'But really there is a lack of pride in our nation, which is dwindling and contributing to (it).'
Barr mentioned numbers at the commemoration services, adding she was under the impression that attendance and pride in Anzac Day was on the up. Journalists Steve Titmus and Amanda Abate joined Nat Barr for the Hot Topics segment during Sunrise's Anzac Day coverage. Credit: Seven
'I think we have a core group of people in the households at home. The parents still teaching the kids about our past and history ... Apart from that, it is dwindling.'
Barr then questioned Abate about the survey.
'Amanda, what do you think because the fact that people don't understand what a veteran is, that our services are involved in peacekeepers, even times there is a flood or fire, they are the people that come and save the day?' Barr asked.
'I think it is our job as parents to be instilling these lessons and stories into these children. I was explaining to my 4-year-old why I was waking early this morning,' Abate said.
'I thought this is a good time to tell him in an age-appropriate way why we get up early on Anzac Day, what the legacy is and the sacrifices that the men and women made for us to live a comfortable, free life.
'It is our duty to ensure the younger generations have a clear understanding of what they means.'
Barr suggested we start a program in schools as a way to help Australian Defence Force recruitment, so more people want to be involved.
'We've got a great opportunity. Let's run a great program through the schools, let's get the parents involved more ... They talk aboout the Anzacs at home,' Titmus said.
'One thing about the Anzacs is we get bombarded at this time of the year, which is fantastic. The rest of the year it tends to dwindle away.
'How about we promote Anzac Day and what it means 360 days of the year?'
Titmus said both his daughters would be attending Anzac Day ceremonies in Brisbane today.
'They (both) feel great respect and they believe that people who came before us and went to war are the major reason why today we can dare to dream and live in the best country in the world.'