ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Sunday 25 April 2010
ANZAC Day goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It is the day we remember all Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity. On ANZAC day, ceremonies are held in towns and cities across the nation to acknowledge the service of our veterans. In Canberra, the Memorial, in close cooperation with RSL ACT, hosts the Dawn Service and the National ANZAC Day Ceremony. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commemorative Ceremony will be held after the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the Aboriginal Memorial plaque on the side of Mount Ainslie.
History and tradition
- ANZAC Day tradition: what do we commemorate and how?
- First World War: an overview of Australia's involvement in the First World War
Ceremonies
- Other ceremonies in Australia and around the world Department of Veterans' Affairs website
Images
- Photographs from previous ANZAC Day ceremonies in Canberra: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
Speeches
- National Ceremony address, 2009: delivered by Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
- Dawn Service address, 2009: delivered by Chaplain Collin Action, RAN
- National Ceremony address, 2008: delivered by the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia
- National Ceremony address, 2006: delivered by Bill Crews, National President, RSL
- Dawn Service address, 2005: delivered by Dr Tom Frame, Anglican Bishop to the Defence Force
- National Ceremony address, 2005: delivered by Her Excellency Mrs Kate Lackey, New Zealand High Commissioner
- Dawn Service address, 2001: delivered by Chaplain Pauline Law, Principal Chaplain, Royal New Zealand Navy
Sound
Education resources
- Their spirit, our history: a Memorial booklet written to help young Australians to understand the historical significance of ANZAC Day
- Further activities for students: information on Memorial programs, with some "taster" activities
- Bibliographies: suggestions for further reading on ANZAC Day and Simpson and his donkey
Tours
- Battlefield tours: details
of the Memorial's tours to Gallipoli and the Western Front

