How to participate in Anzac Day

SBS Australia

25-04-2025

Crowds are seen walking up the steps to the Shrine of Remembrance during the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Melbourne on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Source: AAP / CON CHRONIS/AAPIMAGE On 25 April each year, Australians commemorate Anzac Day. It was first marked to honour the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at during the First World War. Nowadays, the commemoration is for all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service.
On Anzac Day, Dawn Services are held across the country. They commence at around 4:30am, which is the time of the landing in Gallipoli. The start time can be different in some Australian capital cities. It's a ceremony to remember those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts involving Australia. It's often followed by a Gunfire Breakfast in RSL (Returned and Services League) clubs, which consists of a simple BBQ with sausages, bread rolls, eggs and sometimes, coffee and rum. The name Gunfire Breakfast refers to the breakfast eaten by soldiers the morning before a battle. Later in the morning, veterans marches are also held all over the country. "There are very few Second World War veterans left today and those who are, are well into their 90s. But obviously, there are veterans from subsequent conflicts like Korea and Vietnam, and more modern conflicts like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq where Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen have served,' Brian Dawson, Assistant Director National Collection at Australian War Memorial, explains. "There are also overseas contingents, those who've fought in other wars and have come to Australia."
The Dawn Services, Gunfire Breakfasts and marches are organised by RSL Australia, so the best way to know what's going on in your area is to contact your local
Veterans and their families will often spend the day at their local RSL. It's a good place to play which you can only be legally played on Anzac Day. It's a simple game where coins are tossed and bets are made on whether they will land on heads or tails. The prize pool money is all the money invested by players.
There are a few symbols associated with Anzac Day. People wear a sprig of rosemary on the day, a herb that was growing on the Gallipoli peninsula. Some people have also propagated the lone pine and Gallipoli rose after soldiers brought back seeds from the Gallipoli region. The red poppy is a European native flower that bloomed on battlefields after World War One. It has become a symbol of remembrance of the Australian soldiers who have fallen. The Ode of Remembrance is a poem that is commonly recited at Anzac Day services to commemorate wartime sacrifice. In collaboration with the Australian War Memorial, SBS has recorded translations of the Ode of Remembrance in 45 languages . The is another symbol of the commemoration.
The is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda, boiling water, and (optionally) desiccated coconut. It's believed that these biscuits were sent by wives and women's groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients don't spoil easily, and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.
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