Diggers honoured at Anzac Day 2024 dawn services across Victoria
Tens of thousands of Victorians — including 40,000 at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance — have attended dawn services or lined the streets of Melbourne to honour the nation’s Anzac heroes.
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Young and old have attended dawn services and lined the streets of Melbourne to pay their respects to the sacrifices made by service men and women who served the nation at Anzac Day.
Melbourne’s Anzac Day parade was kicked off by Victoria Police’s mounted branch who were followed by the police band and then peacekeepers, who are the leaders of this year’s parade.
The parade will make it way through the city and continue onto St Kilda Rd before ending at the Shrine of Rememberance around noon.
Diggers honoured at dawn services across Victoria
Tens of thousands of Victorians have braved the cold to pay their respects at dawn services across the state.
Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance was lit up in red, as 40,000 people gathered to reflect and honour those who sacrificed their lives in war.
Another 8,000 gathered for a dawn service in Torquay while Wodonga’s event reported a crowd of 5,500.
Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance dawn service MC Justin Smith told the crowd: “we wish we could tell those who lost so much that 109 years we are here honouring them”.
Mr Smith spoke of senior World War I officer Harold “Pompey” Elliott.
“He could be heard yelling and swearing at a soldier one day and then found sobbing over news of the man’s death the next. So he knew about war,” Mr Smith said on Thursday.
“But he knew about something else, not just what a war was, but he knew how war should be remembered.
“And today … years after Pompey Elliot landed into the horror of Gallipoli, we’re here again, waiting for dawn.”
This Anzac Day marks 109 years since the landing of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli in World War I, commemorating the efforts and sacrifices of veterans and serving members of the Defence Force.
This year’s theme revolves around peacekeeping, recognising the 70,000 Australians who have served as peacekeepers across the nation.
Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner AC said Anzac Day was about “the remembrance of those affected by the conflicts of war and those who served and are currently serving”.
“Anzac Day matters not because of the stories that were reported but also the stories that went unreported … we remember those,” she said.
RSL Victoria president Robert Webster: “Today, we honoured the legacy and spirit of the ANZACs, and were uplifted by the experience of seeing 40,000 Victorians gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance, with some subbranches reporting attendances including 8,000 in Torquay and 5,500 in Wodonga for the dawn service”.
“It is always inspiring to be part of the shared reverence of the morning and the traditions that make the service meaningful and memorable for so many people,” he said.
Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee said: “The community’s commitment to honour those who defend our way of life at this morning’s Anzac Day Dawn Service was overwhelming, upholding a 90-year tradition at Victoria’s home of commemoration.”
What’s open on Anzac Day
Many supermarkets and retailers will shut their doors on Anzac Day, with others opening later than usual.
Woolworths, Coles, Westfield shopping centres and most liquor stores will open from 1pm.
Full details are here.
Prime Minister commemorates Anzac Day in PNG
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has commemorate Anzac Day at a dawn service in the dense jungle of the Kokoda Track.
Following a Kokoda Trail trek, Mr Albanese joined Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape at the annual Anzac Day dawn service at the Isurava Memorial Site.
“We gather today on ground made hallow by Australian sacrifice,” Mr Albanese said.
“Where we now have the privilege of joining together in peace and liberty, Australian soldiers fought to hold back a relentless enemy.
“Six-hundred-and-twenty-five Australians were killed on the Kokoda Track. Of those, 99 fell in the Battle of Isurava and 111 more were wounded. And we remember and honour them this morning,” Mr Albanese said.
The Kokoda campaign, fought between July and November 1942, was part of Japan’s attempt to capture Port Moresby when it was an Australian territory.
What’s On: Anzac Day events across Victoria
Melbourne’s Anzac Day Dawn Service took place from 5.30am at the Shrine of Remembrance in Kings Domain on St Kilda Rd.
The shrine will be open for viewing to the public from 6.30am.
The Anzac Day march will make its way down Swanston St, near Little Collins St, from 9am and continue onto St Kilda Rd and the shrine, finishing about noon.
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