Thank you for that kind introduction.
Ambassadors, dignitaries, representatives of services from all nations present her today, but most importantly, servicemen and women of Australia and New Zealand.
It is a distinct honour to be with you this morning to share ANZAC Day while you are on active service.
My son asked me where I was going this week, and when I explained it to him he simply said “They must be very brave”.
Sometimes the clarity and simple words of a child are the best description.
Just over a century ago, hundreds of thousands of men and women each took that individual brave decision to risk their lives for their fellow man.
Tens of thousands never returned home, tens of thousands more did, injured and wounded, mentally and physically.
In the decades since, that pattern has courageously but tragically repeated as tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders have travelled great distance and taken great risks to protect others.
Each cross in a war cemetery in Europe or Africa, each unmarked grave in the jungles of Asia, or watery resting place under the waves of the sea represents an act of bravery and courage we should never forget in the mass of tragic, large numbers.
It represents a lost son or daughter, father or mother, sister or brother; a hole in a family that can never be filled.
It was written many years ago that Australia was ‘the lucky country’. It was originally intended as a compliment, but its meaning rapidly became so.
For decades our servicemen and women and their families have made extraordinary sacrifices so that other peoples and countries may share some more good fortune.
They went not to seize and control, but to liberate and defend.
And so here, in Afghanistan, a nation and peoples who have not had their fair share of good fortune after four decades of war, today we specifically honour the 41 members of the Australian Defence Force, and 10 members of the New Zealand Defence Force who made the ultimate sacrifice so that others may share some of our blessings.
And we particularly remember their families who have suffered this loss.
To all of you serving here today, we honour your sacrifice and that of your families.
I wish you all a safe return to your homes and families at the end of your duties, and I say with renewed conviction for our fallen brothers and sisters in all wars, “Lest We Forget.”
[ENDS]