Richard Martel's father, a veteran of the First and Second World Wars, always told his children they needed to spend some time serving their country, repaying their debts.
It proved to be a significant family legacy. Two of Mr Martel's elder brothers served in British forces during the Second World War, while Mr Martel joined the Australian army a few years after he emigrated from Guernsey.
At dawn on Saturday, Mr Martel, 82, was joined by his wife Julie out the front of their Casey for a small commemorative Anzac service, a radio providing The Last Post and The Ode. Mrs Martel lit two candles, and Mr Martel raised the Australian flag to half mast.
"I thought, this is really good. I don't have to put up with all these bloody politicians down at the dawn service, and that rubbish," Mr Martel said.
"It were just a nice, quiet time, with somebody on the radio and the bugle playing. It was really, really moving. What a wonderful thing to do, just in your own space. I'd do that again next year, it's just brilliant."
Mr Martel spent two years fighting in the Malayan Emergency, an often-forgotten conflict fought between 1948 and 1960, spending the whole time living in a tent and contending with the harsh tropical climate. But the bond formed with other soldiers there was for life.
"Once you make friends like that, you make friends for life. That's it. ... And, you know, you just rely on everybody. The people you rely on, you know you can trust them."
The work, though, was relentless, with little leave and extended periods spent in the jungle.
Mr Martel said his stint was too long and back-to-back operations wore troops out, who always wore the pressure of knowing any day could be their last. But it was still rewarding.
"It's a wonderful feeling to know you've been on that adventure and you trusted each other to save your life. And that is a very fulfilling experience. You've got to do it and be involved in it to know what it's really like," Mr Martel said.
"Sitting out in the middle of the jungle somewhere in the middle of the flogging rain, trying to joke with other blokes ... and now they're all gone. It's a big loss when you look around and now there's nobody there."
Mr Martel's study wall is lined with pictures of him and his platoon mates, but he is now the last one left. He wished they were still around for a chat. Of the 40 in the platoon, Mr Martel knows of four who are still alive. Most died too young, he said.
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"They're like brothers, you know. When they pass away, I think, 'It's family'. Because all of these guys are bullet proof. That's the way you look at it."
Anzac Day was a time to reflect, Mr Martel said.
"Life's full of decisions. Some of your decisions are good and some are bad. But you don't know which are the good and which are the bad. But you still have to make them," he said.
