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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Davidson, Elle Hunt and Melissa Davey

Anzac Day 2016: commemorations and controversy – as it happened

Australia marks Anzac Day with dawn services across the country – video

Summary

Thank you for following our live coverage of Anzac day 2016. To recap:

  • Tens of thousands of people have woken up early to attend dawn services in Australia, New Zealand and Turkey.
  • Crowds in most major cities were reportedly lower than usual, particularly in Europe amid terrorism fears and heightened security.
  • A 16-year-old Sydney boy arrested on terrorism-related charges has faced court today. NSW Joint Counter Terrorism officers raided the boy’s home in Auburn on Sunday afternoon and have charged him with one offence relating to an alleged terrorist plot linked to Anzac Day.
  • About 500 people have gathered at The Block in Redfern, Sydney, for the 10th Coloured Digger Anzac Day march.
  • Former SBS journalist Scott McIntyre has been tweeting about alleged Anzac crimes including murder and gang rape by Australian troops, after losing his job for similar tweets posted on Anzac Day last year.

Updated

Tenth year of the Coloured Digger march

It’s the 10th year of the Coloured Digger march, the hundreds
gathered in Redfern Park are told by Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group chairman Mark Spinks before the wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph.

A welcome to country acknowledges that we’re gathered on Gadigal land
and then it’s on with the service, with wreaths laid by MPs Tanya Plibersek, Daryl Maguire, Linda Burney, Jenny Leong of the NSW Greens and Sydney mayor Clover Moore, as well as representatives from the Turkish embassy, New Zealand, the army, Indigenous youth, the air force and the Social Justice Commission, among others.

Pastor Ray Minniecon leads the Prayer of Remembrance for “those who gave their lives and are lost from us, whose brave spirit lies in foreign soils”.

The service is to commemorate those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have served in the Australian military.

It is “very difficult” to give an accurate account of how many served in the first world war, says Major Joe West from the stage, but it’s thought to be between 500 and 600.

“Why did they join?” asks the program handed out to those taking part in the march. “At the time of WW1, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were not officially classed as citizens of Australia.

“Under the Protectors’ Act, they could not enter a public bar, vote, marry non-Aboriginal partners or buy property. They would have been like every other adventurous young Australian male, wanting to go out and see the world, get paid really good money, see some action and ‘be home before Christmas’.”

But when they eventually returned to Australia, they were
“second-class citizens”, says West, their contribution and
service reduced to footnotes in war histories. This injustice went on to fuel the Aboriginal rights movement of the 1930s.

Updated

Former SBS sports reporter Scott McIntyre, who was sacked by the broadcaster last year after he questioned the Anzac legend and the jingoism associated with Anzac celebrations, has tweeted today about alleged Anzac crimes.

McIntyre sued SBS for wrongful dismissal and refused to apologise and delete the 2015 tweets, which included references to “widespread rape and theft committed by these ‘brave’ Anzacs”.

SBS and McIntyre were set to head to the federal court earlier this month after McIntyre sued for wrongful dismissal, but the parties ultimately reached a settlement.

On Monday, McIntyre continued from where he left off last year, accusing Anzac soldiers of rape, murder and abuse.

Ehsan Knopf reports for Channel 9 that internationally persecuted Muslims have attended dawn services to honour the Anzac diggers who secured Australia’s freedom. He writes:

Members of a Muslim movement persecuted abroad say they’re thankful to Anzac diggers for helping create an Australia that honours and upholds the freedom and rights of its people.

Dozens of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community turned out at Anzac Day dawn services in Sydney to honour soldiers killed in world war pme in defence of Australia.

Sydney coordinator Tariq Ahmad said the Ahmadis, who face discrimination and systematic persecution by other Muslims worldwide, wanted to show their gratitude for the freedom Australia has afforded them.

Updated

The publisher and editor of New Matilda, Chris Graham, has written a very different take on Anzac Day in his piece titled: “Anzac Day: We’ve Already Said Thanks, It’s Time To Move On”.

Aboriginal people got one national apology, he writes, while Anzacs have had more than one hundred thank yous. He continues:

At the outset, I should say that my Grandfather fought in the Second World War. He did so to protect the liberties and freedoms that I enjoy today. I’m grateful for that.

But I think the sense of gratefulness which motivated the establishment of Anzac Day all those years back ought not to be as intense today, and that’s why I think it’s time to move on.

The Great War was 100 years ago. How many times do we have to say thank you?

I can understand why Anzac Day was established. But I think a lot has changed for the better since then.

We’ve had the 100-year commemorations of the landing at Gallipoli. We’ve had the historic apology to Vietnam Veterans who were treated so appallingly on their return, one of the genuine achievements of John Howard as Prime Minister.

I think our returned servicemen and women can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian, and so I think it probably is time to move on.

You can read the full piece here.

Updated

Leaving a trail of eucalyptus smoke behind it from The Block, the Coloured Digger march has arrived at Redfern Park. The contingent of ex-servicemen decked out in medals were met with applause from pedestrians and street-side cafe diners as they crossed the square.

There’s a stage set up by the war memorial with the seats closest to it reserved for elders and those in uniform, as families – plenty with young children – find a spot nearby on the grass. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, and no one seems to be in any rush to get the formal proceedings underway.

A very cool photo from the Onslow dawn service in Western Australia:

About 500 people have gathered at the Block in Redfern, Sydney, for the Coloured Digger Anzac Day march this afternoon.

The procession to Redfern Park, led by two mounted police and a group of aboriginal Australians burning eucalyptus, playing didgeridoo, and displaying both flags, is in recognition of the role played by Indigenous men and servicewomen in the war.

Elders, groups holding placards “Honouring our unknown warrior” and “Honour * Recognition * Respect”, and men and
women in uniform hold prominent places in the march down Redfern St.

A ceremony will be held in Redfern Park, culminating with a wreath laying.

Business Insider has provided a handy guide to the mathematics of two-up, not that it will help increase your odds of a win.

The Australian-invented gambling game is illegal, except for on Anzac Day in New South Wales and Victoria.

Insider reports:

There’s no way to “win” at two-up but there is one approach to ensure you don’t lose your money. You need to be prepared to keep doubling down on your bets, however, and that could clean you out if you’ve got a limit.

If you lose $5 in the first round, double your bet in the next round to $10. If you lose that, double your bet again to $20, and so on, until you win back everything (risky, of course, when you need to pair up with someone who also wants to meet your bet of $80 or more.) But when you are square, return again to your $5 bet and if you win, only bet $5 again.

The mathematics can get more complicated when you factor in “odds” – a toss of one head and one tail five times in a row. But if you’re just enjoying the game, remember the odds are one in two on every throw.

Come in spinner. Enjoy the day.

Updated

Fairfax reporter Lloyd Jones reports that hundreds of Australians and New Zealanders slept out at the tightly-secured Anzac commemorative site at Gallipoli to await the dawn service, which is currently underway.

Jones writes:

Tucked into sleeping bags in front of the main stage at North Beach, they have been serenaded by a military band in between documentaries about the Gallipoli campaign shown on big screens.

At one point on Sunday evening many scrambled for cover as a fierce storm swept through, delivering rain, thunder and lightning.

Most people sheltered in the large security tent until the storm passed.

This year security has been stepped up with airport-style screening process in that tent, while armed Turkish police and soldiers stand guard at checkpoints into the Gallipoli sites.

The boosted security follows recent terror attacks in Turkey, at least two targeting tourists in Istanbul.

After a large attendance at last year’s centenary service, numbers are down this year, in part also because of heightened travel warnings for Turkey from the Australian and New Zealand governments.

My colleague Elle Hunt is off to the Coloured Digger Anzac march in the inner city Sydney suburb of Redfern, where the role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women played in various wars will be honoured. She will provide a report from the ground shortly.

The Coloured Digger group first marched in Redfern on Anzac Day in 2007.

The group’s founder and organiser, Pastor Ray Minniecon, told the City of Sydney: “we’ve always welcomed anyone to the Redfern march who wants to show their respect to our diggers ... they’re the untold story, the unsung heroes of our country, and we need to ensure we all give them due recognition, respect and honour”.

In the past, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women returned home from war, they marched at the end of the lines on Anzac Day.

“What I’d like to see here in Sydney, one year, is our diggers leading the main march in the city,” he said.

Updated

The New Zealand Herald has written a wrap-up of dawn services around the country, including in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington.

The Herald reports:

Thousands of people – and some animals – gathered at Anzac Day dawn services around the country this morning.

There was no sign of yesterday’s rain as Kiwis wrapped themselves in blankets, beanies and scarves to face the cold and stand solemly in the dark to pay their respects to the 2,721 Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) who fought at Gallipoli during World War I.

Those who served in other conflicts were also remembered.

According to AAP, New Zealand’s prime minister John Key, Australian high commissioner Peter Woolcott and the Turkish ambassador Damla Yesim Say were among guests at the commemoration held at Wellington’s Pukeahu National Park.

Updated

Tens of thousands of people turned out around the country to commemorate Anzac Day, marking the 101st anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli.

Sydneysiders gathered at the Cenotaph in Martin Place for the dawn service, in Melbourne a crowd of 45,000 attended the Shrine of Remembrance, and in Canberra thousands braved the cooler weather to attend the dawn service outside the Australian War Memorial.

Australia marks Anzac Day with dawn services across the country - video

Here’s more on this morning’s terror-related arrest from my colleague Michael Safi.

The federal justice minister, Michael Keenan, said this was a “truly chilling and disturbing scenario” and a “sad reflection” of the terrorism threat in Australia.

But he asked Australians to embrace the spirit of Anzac Day and take part in the day’s activities as usual.

“It is of great and ongoing concern that people so young remain susceptible to extremist ideologies and are willing to carry out criminal acts that attract significant penalties,” he said in a statement.

“The terror alert remains at probable – this means credible intelligence, assessed by our security agencies, indicates that individuals or groups have developed both the intent and capability to conduct a terrorist attack in Australia.”

Three hours after Stuart Robert posted a critical tweet of Labor’s negative gearing policy, he’s apologised. Turns out his criticism of “defence force personnel” was meant for a less... loaded time.

Updated

Last year, to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, Guardian Australia photographer Mike Bowers visited the historic sites that feature in the most memorable photographs from the campaign to capture how they look now.

His interactive is well worth a look today as the dawn service in Turkey gets underway.

Updated

The prime minister’s comments about “[defeating] Daesh in the field” follow the arrest of a 16-year-old boy from western Sydney on Sunday afternoon. He was charged this morning with acts in preparation for a terrorist attack on Anzac Day.

Police will allege the boy attempted to obtain a gun sometime between Saturday and Sunday afternoon, triggering his arrest by a join federal-New South Wales counter-terrorism team.

He did not appear at a closed hearing at Parramatta children’s court later on Monday morning, where he was formally denied bail. The charge carries a maximum life sentence.

The arrest of the teenager, who was known to police, was announced shortly before the start of Sydney’s main dawn service at Martin Place. Police commissioner Andrew Scipione said officers had been forced to move quickly.

“Clearly we have taken swift action to ensure community safety on the eve of a sacred day on the Australian calendar. Anzac Day should be observed by all in our community free from fear and I would encourage everyone to enjoy this special day.”

My colleague Michael Safi is in Auburn and will be filing more on this later today.

Updated

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has spoken of “the war against terrorism ... fought in every dimension” in his address at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

“The single-most important priority is to defeat Daesh in the field, in Syria and Iraq. We are so proud of the exceptional men and women who are working tirelessly and professionally to train and build the capacity of the Iraq security forces.

“With around 300 Australians and a hundred New Zealanders, task group Taji represents another significant collaboration between our countries since Gallipoli. Our Special Forces have played a critically important role in assisting the Iraq government as it begins to roll back the gains made by Daesh.

“Our air force is striking Daesh strongholds in Iraq and Syria and at sea our navy is stopping the smuggling, drug running and piracy that fuels these terrorist organisations. We remember and we thank today’s Anzacs for their service in the Middle East and around the world in Australia’s name and in freedom’s cause.”

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull speaks at at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra

“100 years ago today, Australians at home and abroad along the far-flung battle line gathered for the first time to remember the landing at Anzac Cove on the 25 April 1915. At their training camps outside Cairo, diggers stood in reverent silence as they recalled the disastrous Gallipoli campaign of the year before.

“They had lost friends, brothers, brothers in arms. And so they reflected on the carnage and the loss and on the heroism and the triumph of the diggers’ spirit in the midst of the blunders of command. ...

“Within weeks they would sail for France, having experienced the horror of trench warfare on the ridges above Anzac Cove, they were now to confront on even more gruesome scale, the contest between man and machine begun. This was the hellfire that awaited the Anzacs in their first military offensive in Europe, the Battle of Fromelles.

“On that night of July 19, 1916, more than 5,500 Australians died, were wounded or were missing. Like Gallipoli before it, the attack on the Germans’ position was poorly conceived. No wonder the Australian lines felt that they were being led by imperial donkeys. Great victories decisive and Australian-led were to come but they must have seemed far off in the mud and blood of Fromelles. ...

“We became a nation that does not glorify war. This day does not commemorate a triumph of arms. It commemorates the triumph of the human spirit, the courage and resolve of those women who 100 years ago and ever since, and today put their lives on the line.

“To keep us safe, free and defend the interests of Australia and the values of democracy freedom and the rule of law which we share and for which we stand. Throughout history and in every theatre, the Anzac spirit inspires us to be our better selves.”

Meanwhile, Stuart Robert’s much-criticised tweet about Labor’s negative gearing policy – just in time for Anzac Day! – remains on Twitter.

Lest we forget Woolworths’ “Fresh in our memories” controversy, when the supermarket invited users to share war tributes on a bespoke website.

Your mileage may vary, but a flick through Instagram suggests brands’ commemorations aren’t any less awkward this year.

Sam Neill, actor and enthusiastic tweeter, has shared photos this morning of the war memorial in Arrowtown, an historic gol mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand.

Neill’s wine estate, Two Paddocks, is in the same area. The memorial, unveiled in June 1923, commemorates 18 dead.

Updated

Ed Husic, federal member for Chifley, spoke at the Rooty Hill Anzac Day service this morning, sharing stories of those who fought at Gallipoli.

“Many Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill Diggers came from simple backgrounds, just like you and I. But we know they became so much more.

“What they were forced to see and to do and to die for – these things warrant the silent respect, admiration and gratitude we all pause to deliver today. To the soldiers. To the nurses. To the widows and the children they raised on their own. Or the families that had to look after those who returned and who might not have ever lived, loved and laughed as they once had.

“To our nation’s first people, who served proudly but denied honour on their return – a slight that waited decades to be righted. To our friends across the Tasman – like us, a small, emerging nation – that lost too many of their young, those who were being counted on to help build a bigger nation.

“To those generations that then continued to serve: in world war two, or in Korea or 50 years ago in a battle at a place called Long Tan.

“When we think of those things we admire in those who went before us, when we reflect upon the way the Anzac lived their values through their display of friendship, courage, sacrifice, loyalty and resilience – when you feel the emotion directed someone you didn’t know or couldn’t have possibly known still speaks in a way words cannot – it demonstrates a simple truth.

“You have – we have – remembered them, right from the long march of time that led to a centenary – and for every year thereafter.

“We will remember them.

“Lest we forget.”

Updated

Graeme Collins with his daughter Eve, waiting in Castlereagh Street for their march to begin.
Graeme Collins with his daughter Eve, waiting in Castlereagh Street, Sydney, for their march to begin. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Veterans are wheeled along the route.
Veterans are wheeled along the route. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Castlereagh Street is awash with people for the march.
Castlereagh Street is awash with people for the march. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
The parade begins.
The parade begins. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
You and old have come out today to see the parade and pay their respects.
Young and old have come out today to see the parade and pay their respects. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Channel Seven has apologised for cutting short the Last Post before the AFL clash between Melbourne and Richmond on Sunday night.

Former AFL star Brendan Fevola and Richmond fan Rhett Bartlett, son of club legend Kevin Bartlett, were among several Twitter users to criticise the cut to a commercial break.

After the game the network presenter Hamish McLachlan apologised on air, saying it was an “edited package” of a ceremony at the MCG that Seven had done a “poor job of”.

“We didn’t show the Last Post in full. It is not something we are proud of. We are very disappointed with the way it went to air.”

Updated

Despite the nearly half a billion dollars devoted to the Anzac centennial, Australians recall very little about the home front during the first world war – and what they do remember is generally wrong.

Jeff Sparrow’s comment piece about Anzac Day has just gone live.

My colleague Mike Bowers snapped this from the Anzac Day parade in Sydney.

Plus the early start – tough gig.

Updated

Stuart Robert is copping flak on Twitter for politicking on Anzac Day.

“There are more defence force personnel who use negative gearing than surgeons, judges, anaesthetists and psychiatrists combined,” the federal member for Fadden tweeted on Monday morning.

Twitter, where #AnzacDay2015 has been trending for a good five hours, was not impressed.

With New Zealand two hours ahead of AEDT, Anzac Day is well under way across the Tasman.

Dawn services were held across the country, with the prime minister, John Key, among thousands to attend the event at the National War Memorial in Wellington, the country’s capital. Key also released a message and video on social media.

Key said in a video address posted to YouTube that New Zealand’s “great relationship” with Australia had been forged at Gallipoli.

“It’s tremendously rugged terrain and it was a very brutal battle as we know. Tragically, we lost far too many men at Gallipoli ... It’s great to see so many New Zealanders from one end of the country to the other coming out to commemorate Anzac Day.

“Particularly pleasing is the increasing numbers of young people, as they take the opportunity to reflect on our history, but also to consider our future.”

A Turkish exchange student Yigit Can Kaya, 18, delivered the Anzac dedication at the service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Can Kaya had just arrived in New Zealand from Istanbul for a two week-long exchange at Auckland’s Rangitoto College.

“Taking part ... certainly made me think about the students from our school who fought and died and it made me think it could have been me.”

Updated

Michael Keenan on 'truly chilling' planned terrorist attack

The justice minister held a specially convened press conference in Perth this morning, after news a 16-year-old boy from Sydney was facing charges relating to the planning and preparation of a terrorist attack today.

This was a “truly chilling and disturbing scenario”, he said, and a “sad reflection” of the terrorist threat landscape in Australia.

But he asked Australians to embrace the spirit of Anzac Day and go about participating in today’s activities.

“It is of great and ongoing concern that people so young remain susceptible to extremist ideologies and are willing to carry out criminal acts that attract significant penalties,” he said.

“The terror alert remains at probable – this means credible intelligence, assessed by our security agencies indicates that individuals or groups have developed both the intent and capability to conduct a terrorist attack in Australia.

“We must remain vigilant in the face of the global terrorist threat that continues to affect Australia, but I want to reassure Australians that our authorities are the best law enforcement agencies in the world and they will act swiftly to neutralise any threat and secure the safety of our communities.”

Updated

Good morning, Elle Hunt in Sydney, here to take the reins from my colleague Helen Davidson in Darwin.

The role of Indigenous servicemen and women is becoming increasingly prominent in Anzac day commemorations, and is currently the subject of Serving Country, an exhibition at the Redfern Community Centre.

About 2pm today there will be a Coloured Diggers march through Redfern; I’ll be covering that.

In the meantime, take a few minutes to watch Roy Mundine, a high-profile Indigenous Australia war veteran from the Vietnam war, speak about the participation of Australian Aborigines and Torres Straight Islanders in the armed forces since the Boer war.

Video by Dieter Kiernan.

Updated

There are a lot of flags out today. The question is: do they have wind vent holes? The second question is: do they need them?

Luckily the folks over at the Conversation have gone through the science.

Veterans march to the Shrine of Remembrance for the Anzac Day march in Melbourne
Veterans march to the Shrine of Remembrance for the Anzac Day march in Melbourne. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Updated

Some Anzac commemoration activities started earlier than this morning. A group of Arranda students from the central desert community of Ntaria (Hermannsburg), rode 127km on horseback to attend the dawn service in Alice Springs.

The eight-day ride pays tribute to Indigenous Anzac soldiers, particularly those in the Light Horse Brigade.

Updated

Seven News journalist, Robert Ovadia, is in Gallipoli for the Anzac Service there.

The federal justice minister, Michael Keenan, has just spoken in Perth about the arrest of the 16-year-old boy on terrorism charges in Sydney yesterday.

He praised Australia’s counter-terrorism authorities, and said six terrorist attacks on Australian soil had now been stopped.

Keenan urged people to go ahead with Anzac Day activities. “These commemorations are a very important part of our national life,” he said. “We need to have confidence in the ability of our agencies’ abilities to keep us safe.”

He declined to give details of the allegations against the boy before his court appearance later today but said it demonstrated “part of a pattern” where young people are targeted and incited to take part in an attack.

There were no indications that others would be arrested in relation to this particular alleged plot.

Updated

A few more pictures from our photographer Mike Bowers in Sydney, who’s been up and about since before dawn.

Military medals proudly on display.
Military medals proudly on display. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Participants in the ANZAC Day march in Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
Participants in the Anzac Day march in Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
WWII veteran Laurie Kelly from Oxford Falls. He served with the 2nd/1st Pioneers.
WWII veteran Laurie Kelly from Oxford Falls. He served with the 2nd/1st Pioneers. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
The general public was allowed into the space around the cenotaph to view the floral tributes.
The general public was allowed into the space around the cenotaph to view the floral tributes. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
The Last Post is played at 5.05am during the Dawn Servcie at the Cenotaph in Sydney.
The Last Post is played at 5.05am during the Dawn Servcie at the Cenotaph in Sydney. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

The Anzac Day parades in the eastern states – including major events in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane – have begun.

In Melbourne the parade was led by Vietnam war veterans for the first time.

Updated

Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large, Mike Bowers, has been up early in Sydney.

I’ll bring you more of Bowers’ fantastic shots of the dawn service shortly, but below is one from just a short while ago, before the official parade through the city.

Updated

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commemorative Ceremony is held on the side of Canberra’s Mount Ainslie shortly after the dawn service at the memorial.

It’s hosted by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association, to honour Indigenous servicemen and women.

Today, as in recent years, there is discussion about the recognition of the tens of thousands of Indigenous people killed in the frontier wars.

“Commemoration of Australian involvement in other peoples’ wars has eclipsed any appropriate official remembrance of the Australian frontier conflicts that, by some credible estimates killed many more (mainly Indigenous) people than the 60,000-plus Australians who died in world war one,” writes Paul Daley for Guardian Australia.

“The tendency to forget the frontier war stands in direct contradiction with the culture of remembrance for Australia’s military history,” writes Jidah Clark for SBS.

Updated

Alice Springs:

The Northern Territory’s chief minister was among those to attend a service in the country’s centre, at the Alice Springs memorial on Anzac Hill.

A couple of days ago, the large lettering which spells out “lest we forget” was vandalised but the council had it quickly fixed up, and some people reportedly stationed nearby to watch over it.

Updated

Today marks not just the 101st anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, but also the 100th anniversary of the battle of Fromelles, when more than 5500 Australians were killed or injured in just 24 hours.

Today also marks 50 years since the battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam war.

A Vietnam veteran, John Staszynski, 69, told AAP the worst part of the Vietnam experience was coming back to a country that told him not to wear his uniform.

“They told you to keep a low profile, stay out of trouble and we thought that was a real kick in the pants,” he said.

Smith said Anzac Day was a time to remember the terrible cost paid by all who fought in those and other conflicts since federation. “War is brutish, inglorious and a terrible waste,” he said.

“It leaves an indelible mark on those who endure it. It’s only redeeming qualities are the bravery displayed and the devotion of comrades to one another.”

Updated

This report from Adelaide, courtesy of AAP:

Australia has been urged to care properly for its war veterans, mindful of the sacrifices they have made and the physical, mental and emotional scars many still bear.

The Anzac Day dawn service in Adelaide has heard that those elected to lead the country bear a great responsibility when they send young people to fight on the nation’s behalf.

“A responsibility that includes caring properly for them when they return home,” Ian Smith, chairman of the SA Anzac Day committee, told the 8000 people who gathered at the city’s war memorial before dawn. “Some are only just coming to terms with how their service has changed their own lives.

“Sadly this process can result in family breakdown, homelessness and has even seen a number of our veterans take their own lives.”

One year after the Anzac centenary, this year’s services mark the 100th anniversary of Australia’s worst 24 hours in military history when 5533 were killed or injured during the disastrous battle of Fromelles.

The SA dawn service also included the traditional laying of wreaths with the premier, Jay Weatherill, and senators Simon Birmingham and Penny Wong among those to pay their respects.

Updated

“The paradox of the Australian War Memorial, this place and this day, is that it’s not about war. It’s in a context,” the memorial’s director, Brendan Nelson, has told ABC this morning.

“These are stories about love and friendship … and honouring men and women like you and me who choose to dedicate their lives,” he said.

“The ultimate message here on this place and this day is that a life of value is in the service of others.”

Updated

Perth:

As the sun rises on Western Australia, tens of thousands have turned out for services, but like elsewhere across the country, numbers are significantly down on last year’s centenary events.

An estimated 30,000 were predicted to attend the Perth service, where a bagpipe is now playing as people lay wreaths at the Kings Park memorial.

In attendance are the premier, Colin Barnett, the governor, Kerry Sanderson, and the former leader of Timor-Leste, Xanana Gusmao.

Updated

The parents of Scott Palmer, killed in Afghanistan in 2010, attended Darwin’s dawn service where a plaque in memory of their son was unveiled. Palmer, 27 at the time of this death, had completed two previous tours in Afghanistan, and also served in Iraq and East Timor.

Updated

Below are some images from one of the country’s most picturesque services, held every year by the Currumbin RSL on the Gold Coast. This morning’s ceremony was a rainy event, and the annual scattering of ashes offshore occurred from inflatable boats instead of the usual surfboats owing to the size of the waves.

A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop takes part in the Currumbin RSL dawn service
A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop takes part in the Currumbin RSL dawn service. Photograph: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Crowds watch on at the Currumbin RSL dawn service on April 25, 2016 in Gold Coast, Australia
Crowds at the Currumbin service. Photograph: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Members of the Albert Battery shoot a volley of fire during the Gold Coast ceremony
Members of the Albert Battery shoot a volley of fire during the Gold Coast ceremony. Photograph: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop
A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop. Photograph: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Updated

Canberra:

An estimated 55,000 people attended the national dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra this morning.

The memorial’s director, Brendan Nelson, told the crowd that those serving in defence forces “remind us there are some truths by which we live, and they’re worth fighting to defend”.

Nelson said Australians “breathe easy indifference” to what the defence forces were sacrificing.

“102,700 Australians are named on the roll of honour. Like us each had only one life, one life to serve others and our nation. They chose us.”

As part of the service, photographs of current service men and women were projected on to the memorial walls.

Updated

Some concerning news to wake up to this morning, with a 16-year-old Sydney boy arrested on terrorism-related charges.

NSW Joint Counter Terrorism officers raided the boy’s home in Auburn yesterday afternoon, and have charged him with one offence relating to an alleged terrorist plot linked to Anzac Day. The maximum penalty is life in prison.

Police believe he was acting alone.

The NSW premier, Mike Baird, has urged people not to stay home because of it. “My strong encouragement is if you are intending to go [to an Anzac service], go,” Baird told media after he left the dawn service at Martin Place.

“I want to thank [police] for their ongoing work in keeping us safe and clearly they are doing a first-class job,” he said.

Updated

Here is a rundown of where events have, or will, occur around the country including Brisbane where the memorial tradition all began, according to the chief executive of the Anzac Day commemoration committee, Hedley Lockyer.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the committee, established in Bowen Hills in January 1916.

“Queenslanders generally aren’t aware that the Anzac Day tradition has its roots right here in Brisbane,” Lockyer told Australian Associated Press. “It may not have happened in any other state in Australia, or any other country for that matter, had it not been for that public meeting.”

Updated

Good morning and welcome to Guardian Australia’s coverage of the 2016 Anzac Day commemorations. Tens of thousands of people have woken up early to attend dawn services in Australian and New Zealand cities.

Crowds in Europe are expected to be lower than usual, amid terrorism fears and heightened security.

Yesterday police arrested a 16-year-old boy in Auburn, New South Wales, and charged him with preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act related to Anzac commemoration services. He is expected to face children’s court later today.

The NSW police commissioner, Andrew Scipione, spoke a short time ago and said the threat had been addressed and he urged people to go about their Anzac Day activities.

We’ll bring you more details as they come to hand, as well as reports and pictures from services and events across the country.

I’m tweeting on @heldavidson, please send me photos and thoughts from where you are this Anzac Day.

5.45 am: the general public is allowed into the space around the cenotaph in Sydney to view the floral tributes

5.45 am: the general public is allowed into the space around the cenotaph in Sydney to view the floral tributes. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
A gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne
A gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP
The City of Auckland Pipe band at the dawn service at Auckland Museum
The City of Auckland Pipe band at the dawn service at Auckland Museum. Photograph: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Updated

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