ANZAC Day is arguably the most important day of the year for many Australians, the day we remember the Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in war. It is held on April 25, the anniversary of the day Australians and New Zealanders landed at the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey in 1915.

Usually ANZAC Day starts with a commemorative dawn service at the various Shrines of Remembrance across the country with local services held in communities across the country. There is a commemorative address, wreaths are laid, hymns sung, the Ode is recited, The Last Post is played, then there is a minute’s silence before New Zealand and Australia’s national anthems are played.

Later there are marches, egg and bacon breakfasts, two-up (a gambling game which can  only legally be played on ANZAC Day). The pubs do a roaring trade.

This year, we downloaded an app to stream the national service and went to the end of our driveway just before 6am for our own Light up the Driveway at Dawn service. Our candle flickered on the screen but the sound on the app didn’t work. We heard The Last Post and later the Reveille being played from someone else’s driveway service but we couldn’t see where the sound was coming from. Later we could see the lights of candles  coming from people standing at the end of their driveway further up our street. We waved our mobile devices to them so they could see our candles too.

For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon (the Ode)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them

The following photo is looking down our nearest main road at the dawn breaking a few minutes after the ceremony ended.