Have you got the Anzac Spirit? Victoria Cross heroes light a new flame to spark Australian pride

DO you have the spark of character that can become a flame? At this uncertain stage in history, our three bravest men tell why we need it more than ever.

IT is the most simple, yet powerful, of symbols.

For the first time ever, an Anzac Flame will be carried across Australia ahead of next year’s Gallipoli landings centenary.

It is a flame of remembrance, yet its job is to start new fires — specifically, to spark the Anzac Spirit in the hearts of ordinary Australians.

The mission is being launched by three of our most extraordinary citizens: Victoria Cross winners Daniel Keighran, Ben Roberts-Smith and Mark Donaldson. And they are backed by a swag of showbiz and sports stars.

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Shared mission ... Ben Roberts-Smith prepares to light the Anzac Flame at a ceremony in Perth, flanked by AFL names Troy Cook (left) and Glen Jakovich (right). Other sports stars backing Camp Galipoli include Shane Warne, Cathy Freeman, Johnathan Thurston and Jobe Watson.

Citing principles of teamwork, mateship, acceptance and the fair go, Corporal Roberts-Smith said the spirit is “about what we are prepared to do for each other”. Corporal Donaldson added it is the principle of “service over self.”

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“You don’t need to have fought in a war to have the Anzac Spirit,” added the 35-year-old Donaldson, who won his medal for exceptional bravery under fire in Afghanistan. “Their spirit and determination can be transferred to everyday life and that’s the legacy those guys have left us.”

The flame is a key part of the Camp Gallipoli project, which will give thousands of Aussies the chance to camp out next April 24 at themed, organised events which will culminate in a Dawn Service like the legendary annual event at Anzac Cove.

Walking in footsteps of history - and making it themselves ... Ben Roberts-Smith, Daniel Keighran and Mark Donaldson.

Its founder, businessman and charity executive Chris Fox, believes reclaiming the Anzac Spirit is crucial to modern Australia “growing as a country.”

The lighting of the flame will be unveiled on Sept 27 during the broadcast of the AFL Grand Final. It is being taken from two launch locations — the Barossa Valley in SA and Blackboy Hill in WA, chosen for their links to the original Aussie soldiers of 1914 — to the Australian War Memorial then on to Camp Gallipoli sites across the country.

From the past to the future ... Mark Donaldson with WW1 Light Horseman representative Martin Hilton at the Barrossa launch venue as they prepare to carry the flame and spread the word.

“The idea of the eternal flame as a symbol of remembrance and then the actual fragility of the flame being so easily snuffed out are such powerful images,” said NSW-born, WA-based Corporal Donaldson, as he prepared to hand the torch on to a representative of the iconic Light Horsemen.

Fellow VC Corporal Keighran believes at next year’s centenary there will be more interest in Anzac Day and related projects than ever before. “It’s a once in a lifetime occasion,” he said. “The crowds will be the biggest we have seen on Anzac Day.”

He feels that the historical events of World War One, both in Gallipoli and on the Western Front, played a huge role in establishing the culture and outlook of modern Australia — not least because most families in that then-small nation were impacted.

‘Proud history’ ... Victoria Cross winner Daniel Keighran is passing on the spirit.

Like his fellows, the Queensland-born 31-year-old says the sense of history and duty are very present in the modern army. “There’s always that proud history, that unit history. It’s where you’ve come from.”

And like his comrades he is modest about his own standing in the records. When told he is now part of our history for his heroic actions in battle in Afghanistan, he accepts it — but not fully.

“It’s still very strange,” he says. “I’m still coming to terms with that.”

“What I did on 24 Aug 2010 was the only option I had available to me at the time ... So it’s a tremendous honour to be recognised in that way, even to be nominated.”

For Australia’s most decorated soldier, remembering the sacrifice and hardship endured by his forebears was a “powerful driving force” when serving overseas.

‘Perfect way to keep the Anzac Spirit alive’ ... Anzac Girls star Georgia Flood is backing the camps.

‘Incredibly humbling’ to be involved ... Essendon AFL star Jobe Watson is a Camp Gallipoli ambassador.

Despite retiring from full-time Army duties one year ago, SAS veteran Corporal Roberts-Smith believes it’s his duty to continue to impart the message of mateship to the younger generation.

The 35-year-old says his mission is “about representing the sacrifice of those that went before us.”

“As a soldier you look at that and it’s one of those driving factors. You look at the hardships they endured, you look at the sense of pride and honour that they had and you look at what they actually achieved.

“We have that reputation because of what they did. It’s something we are only the custodians of, the Anzac spirit and all symbolism that is borne out of their actions.”

Passing on the legend ... Ben Roberts-Smith speaks to Bethan Fey, eight, at the Anzac Flame ceremony in Blackboy Hill, Perth.

The father of young twin daughters, who is studying his Masters of Business Administration at the University of Queensland, will next April be at Gallipoli. There he will walk in the footsteps of his grandfather and three other relatives who landed at the Turkish battlefield.

“I feel a deep sense of attachment to my forefathers and to those Australians that began this journey. Not just Anzac, but to even go back as far as the Boer War, some of the great Australians that contributed to the society that we have now and I feel we should always endeavour to give back.”

Originally published as Have you got the Anzac Spirit? Victoria Cross heroes light a new flame to spark Australian pride