TRANSCRIPT
Around the country, Australians have gathered in large numbers, and remembered.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leading the way in the national capital, Canberra.
The phrase Lest We Forget as common as the Last Post on days like these.
Mr Albanese explaining exactly what it means.
"Lest We Forget is Australia's eternal promise to all those men and women who've worn our uniform, who've defended our nation, defended our democracy, and risked their lives in oder to preserve the Australian way of life. Today, on November 11, we pause to reflect and pay thanks."
105 years on from the Armistice Day that ended the First World War, the medals of those who served are now often carried by subsequent generations, who honour the legacy of their relatives.
But the 11th of November is not just about honouring who died, but also how.
The New South Wales President of the Returned and Services League, Mick Bainbridge, epitomising this in his speech at the Centotaph in Sydney's Central Business District.
"They went with songs to the battle, they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady, and aglow. They were staunch to the end, against odds uncounted. They fell with their faces to the foe."
More than 60,000 Australians were killed, far from home, in the First World War.
That was part of the 16 million soldiers and civilians who died in that conflict.
They called it the Great War- the war to end all wars.
That turned out to be untrue- and, as Rear Admiral Christopher Smith, Royal Australian Navy Fleet Commander, says, Remembrance Day commemorates them, and all Australians who have been to war ever since.
As he acknowledges, for some, the battle goes on well after the end of the war.
"Today, the Australia War Memorial's Roll of Honour lists the names of 103,000 Australians who have lost their lives in war and in conflict. I know I am speaking to some of you who can recall from personal experience the trauma of war- experiences that have affected family, friends, and your communities each in a unique way."
The price of war still just as visible today.
