The sound of kookaburras laughing broke through the silence which fell over the Wollongong cenotaph as the dawn service marking the 101st anniversary of the Gallipoli landing began.
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It was one of dozens of services held across the Illawarra on Monday morning.
While the crowd was well down on last year’s record centenary attendance of almost 10,000, organisers estimated more than 3,000 people gathered in MacCabe Park for Anzac Day 2016.
Under a sky lit by a still bright waxing moon, a drum beat steadily as the catafalque party began official proceedings for the 5am service, and a small line of diggers marched into the park.
In the dawn service address, Commodore Brett Brace said it was heartening to see many young people in the crowd.
“I know the ever decreasing ranks of our veterans value your attendance,” he said.
Once the crowd had dispersed, Jeremy Laidlaw marked the yearly ritual of attending the dawn service with a family photo beneath the cenotaph.
After 10 years of service and six deployments in places like the Middle East and Timor, the former sergeant and Black Hawk loadmaster said the Anzac Day provided a chance to reflect on his own time in the Defence Force as well as that of the generations before him.
“To me it doesn't matter if it’s the first, 99th or 100th year, they're all as important as each other,” he said, noting both his young daughters, two-year-old Mia and 10-year-old Tilly had attended a dawn service every year no matter where the family has been stationed.
By 6am, a long line formed at the doors to City Diggers Club, with veterans and families keen to head inside for a warm breakfast and, for many of the diggers, an early cold beer.
After 40 years of working with the RSL, Vietnam veteran Allan Butler said Anzac Day always held a special meaning, but he said he was most looking forward to the Wollongong schools service on Wednesday.
“For me, this isn’t the most important day of the year, that’s the schools’ service on Wednesday,” he said.
“We have the kids take charge of the whole service, because they’re the ones that will carry this on in the future.”
Anzac Day is a time to reflect on past wars and the sacrifice made by those who have served in conflicts, past and present.
Post your messages and memories of those who have served, or those currently serving, in the armed forces.