Latest news with #AnzacDayDawn
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Joel Fitzgibbon's full Anzac Day address at North Bondi dawn service
Joel Fitzgibbon served as the Labor Member for Hunter from 1996 to 2022. He held several ministerial roles, including Minister for Defence under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Tragically, his son, Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, died on 6 March 2024, following a parachuting accident during a routine Australian Defence Force training exercise at RAAF Base Richmond in Sydney. Jack, aged 33, was a member of the elite 2nd Commando Regiment and an experienced parachutist. Mr Fitzgibbon's Anzac Day Dawn service speech at North Bondi has been praised by many Aussies for greatly honouring he memory of his son and others who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Read it in full below. On this day 110 years ago – early morning, dark, freezing cold, and in a shower of bullets – thousands of Australian and New Zealand troops stormed the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula. They did so against all odds, let down by those who planned their mission. Despite that, they did all that was asked of them and more. By the end of the day 600 Australian soldiers had sacrificed their lives. By the end of the campaign, around 6,000 more fell with their faces to the foe. Thousands more were wounded, many for life. The ANZAC legend was born. Today we honour them, and we thank them for their deeds and their sacrifice. Just as we pay tribute today, to all those who have been inspired by them and have given their own lives defending – or training to defend – our national interest. More than one hundred thousand of them. The overwhelming majority of them, volunteers. But in this increasingly uncertain world, we must do more than honour them and thank them. That's easy. We must show how much we mean it, by ensuring their legacy lives on, and their deeds were not in vain. We owe it to them, to be as committed to the defence of our national interests as they were – today, tomorrow and beyond. To protect what we've built and what we stand for – our values and our commitment to democracy and its institutions. This we owe them. ANZAC Day – our most solemn day – is as much about our future as it is about our past. It must be. As we gather this morning, our men and women in uniform are pausing to reflect too. Some of them are with us. Like the rest of us, they'll be drawing strength from the deeds of those who marched before them. But they'll soon be back at it, preparing to venture into harm's way in our name. Preparing to put their lives on the line – for us. Pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits. Honing their skills and procedures. Thinking about the relative strengths and capability of the foe they might face. Any day. Yet as a civilian community, complacency has grown amongst us. The history of the world is largely a story of war. It's the one great constant. Yet some amongst us act as if they believe human nature has changed. As if the world has matured beyond the futility of war, and now clearly sees the folly of it. That is despite, the conflicts currently playing out in the Middle East and Ukraine. Despite rising tensions in our own region – in our own back yard. Just as we in the West appear to have lost the will to reproduce ourselves in sufficient number, we seem to have lost the will to adequately protect ourselves. Peace is worth fighting for, but avoiding conflict is a better option. To maintain peace in our region we must maintain vigilance. That means more than just hoping for a capable Defence Force, the will must be there too. That means we need our people – all of us, including our young people – to appreciate that we need the capacity to deter an enemy and if necessary, to defeat an enemy. Not just as a defence force but as a nation. And we will only have a nation capable of doing so, if that's the message we are constantly sending our political leaders. If it's our priority, it will continue to be a priority for them – it's up to us.. Defence policy should be a matter of absolute bipartisanship. The financial cost of it demands it. The complexity of it demands it. The challenges of it demand it. And the need for it demands it. We owe our fallen no less. We owe it to those who have returned but lived – or will live – shorter lives due to injury or mental trauma. And we owe our living veterans no less – those who served in the Second World War, Korea, the Malayan Emergency, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, East Timor, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and every deployment before, since, and in between. And we owe our nation no less, including those who made significant sacrifices on the home front, and those who lost a partner, a parent, a son or daughter, or a brother and sister.
7NEWS
25-04-2025
- Climate
- 7NEWS
Two people hit by lightning and one rescued from floods as wild weather smashes southeast Queensland on Anzac morning
Lightning has injured a teenage girl and a woman and a man has been rescued from floodwaters as wild weather smashes southeast Queensland. At least a dozen Anzac Day Dawn Services and marches were cancelled as residents around Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast woke to storms and heavy rain on Friday. Two people were struck by lightning only hours apart on Friday morning. A woman in her 30s was taken to Nambour Hospital with a neck injury after being hit by lightning at a home in Yandina, on the Sunshine Coast, about 12.45am. And a teenage girl was also struck by lightning at a home on Coutts Dr in Burpengary, in Brisbane's north, about 2.54am. She was taken to Caboolture Hospital in a stable condition with minor burns. Heavy rain brought flash flooding to the region, with one man rescued from his car when it was caught in the deluge on Hospital Rd in Nambour about 3am. The Bureau of Meteorology had earlier issued a severe thunderstorm warning for large areas of southeast Queensland. 'A surface trough is combining with an upper trough to cause thunderstorms and moderate showers in the southeast this morning,' it said. 'Rainfall rates have eased below severe thresholds but there is a slight chance heavy falls may redevelop later this morning.' About 200mm of rain was recorded at one Nambour weather observation station and 235mm at nearby West Woombye in the 24 hours to 9am Friday. About 2500 lightning strikes were recorded over the southeast during the same time period. 'The immediate threat of severe thunderstorms has passed but the situation will continue to be monitored and further warnings will be issued if necessary,' BOM said. At least a dozen dawn services and marches were cancelled or altered due to the bad weather. Services and marches were cancelled at Buderim, Nambour, Beachmere, Deception Bay, Burpengary, Forest Lake, Greenbank, Ormeau, Burleigh Heads, Upper Coomera and Broadwater, while marches at Canungra and Beerwah were moved indoors and into a local park respectively. Minor flood warnings have also been issued for the Mary, Brisbane and Maroochy Rivers. Minor flooding was likely along the Mary River to Gympie, according to BOM, with the river currently at 4.15m and rising at Moy Pocket. 'Moderate to locally heavy rainfall has been observed within the Maroochy River catchment overnight Thursday into Friday,' it said. 'This has caused creek and river level rises throughout the catchment and minor flooding is likely at Picnic Point on the high tides Friday morning and evening, as well as the Saturday morning high tide. 'Further rainfall is forecast for the remainder of Friday morning, which may cause further river and creek level rises. The situation is being monitored and this warning will be updated as required.' The Brisbane River at Gregor Creek is currently at 3.02m and rising, below the minor flood level, however it may reach the minor flood level of 3.50m later on Friday, according to BOM. Minor flooding may also occur along the Brisbane River to Wivenhoe Dam.
Sky News AU
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Hecklers take aim at Welcome to Country during Melbourne Anzac Day dawn service
The Anzac Day Dawn service in Melbourne has been disrupted by some members of the crowd with booing and yelling being heard while the Welcome to Country was being performed. Other members of the crowd attempted to clap and cheer in a bid to drown out the booing and shouting.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Governor-General's Anzac Day Dawn Service Address
Speech – Government House This Anzac Day marks 110 years since the Gallipoli landings by soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – the ANZACS. It signalled the beginning of a campaign that was to take the lives of so many of our young men – and would devastate the The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO Governor-General of New Zealand Anzac Day Dawn Service Address 2025 Auckland War Memorial Museum Takiri ko te ata, haehaetia te pō E koro mā i te pō! Nga Toa a Tūmatauenga! Ngā Toa a Ranginui Ngā toa a Tangaroa Hoki wairua mai, ki runga i ō koutou marae Ki o koutou maunga karangaranga. E okioki mai nā i nga taumata, nga kahurangi Tirohia mai ra ki ō koutou uri E hāpai nei i ngā kupu ōhākī Tangihia, mihia nga aitua Huihuia mai ki tēnei marae Te hunga ora Tēnā koutou Tēnā koutou Tēnā tātou katoa I specifically acknowledge: The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Brad Williams, Consul General for the Commonwealth of Australia Air Vice Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of Air Force His Worship Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland Frédéric Leturque, Mayor of Arras, France Sir Wayne Shelford, National President of the RNZRSA Sir Graham Lowe, Patron of the Auckland RSA Graham Gibson, President of the Auckland RSA Brad Hodgson, Auckland RSA Dr David Reeves, Chief Executive of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Mr Keutekarakia Mataroa, Dean of the Auckland Consular Corps A special welcome to people who have served – or are currently serving in our Defence Force. This Anzac Day marks 110 years since the Gallipoli landings by soldiers in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – the ANZACS. It signalled the beginning of a campaign that was to take the lives of so many of our young men – and would devastate the communities they left behind at home. One year later, in 1916, grieving New Zealanders gathered to express their sorrow at the first Anzac Day commemoration. Today, in our towns, cities and hamlets across the length and breadth of Aotearoa – your comrades have gathered in the chill light of dawn, alongside their families and communities, to commemorate Anzac Day. This morning, your thoughts may be turning to your experience of military service – and to those who are missing from among your ranks. It's an honour to join you and the people of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, at our nation's preeminent site of remembrance – to show our aroha and respect for the many hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in our history who have answered the call to arms – and to express our deep sorrow for those who never returned from the field of battle, or who subsequently died of their wounds. This year we mark another significant anniversary in our nation's military history. Eighty years ago, after nearly six long years, the Second World War finally came to an end. An astonishing 140,000 New Zealanders had served in the European, North African and the Pacific theatres of war, and almost 12,000 lost their lives as a result of their war service. Around one third of those casualties were from Auckland. Once again, our families and communities experienced the terrible pain of sacrifice and loss, and the impacts of that trauma lingered for generations. Eighty years ago, New Zealanders also played a role in establishing the United Nations, which many people fervently hoped would ensure that the horrors of the First and Second World Wars could never be repeated. In the years since, conflict on that scale has indeed been avoided, but securing peaceful resolution to geopolitical tensions has remained elusive. New Zealand has regularly been called upon to support our allies – from the Korean War in the 1950s – through to the conflict in Afghanistan in the 2000s. Our service personnel have also served in many peace-keeping operations around the globe, and frequently assist people in need in the aftermath of natural disasters – both here in Aotearoa, and in the Pacific. To those of you who are currently serving in our Defence Force, I sincerely thank you, on behalf of your fellow citizens. We recognise that your lives, and the lives of your families are affected by the demands of military service – and we salute your courage and readiness to serve in support of collective security efforts with our allies. This Anzac Day – when we reflect on the sobering realities of war, and the current state of the world, we see the ideals embodied in the United Nations being routinely ignored, and coercive power being used to threaten human rights and the territorial sovereignty of others. In these volatile and uncertain times – New Zealand continues to subscribe to the ideal of peaceful resolution of geopolitical tensions – while also acknowledging the role our nation's defence personnel have played – and will continue to play in defending freedom, justice and the rule of law. In this way, they contribute to efforts to maintain and extend the blessings of peace, security and stability in the world. On this Anzac Day, and the Anzac Days to come, we remain committed to honour their service. Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou.
