AS she planted knitted poppies in the earth at Fort Scratchley for Remembrance Day, Karen Smith was sowing memories of her pilgrimage to Gallipoli in 2013 and reflecting on the enormity of loss that war reaped.
She recalled walking into a cemetery near Anzac Cove and reading the headstones.
"So many of the boys were the same age as my sons," the mother of two men said. "What would I have done if I was one of those mothers?"
More than a century since the guns fell silent in World War One, Ms Smith has been honouring those who served, and those who were killed, by joining fellow volunteers from the Fort Scratchley Historical Society in setting up a display on the landmark's steep slopes to mark Remembrance Day.
The volunteers have installed 24 crosses, one for each of the major battles during World War One involving Australians, and another noting how many local men died during the conflict: 2127. The display includes dozens of poppies that were knitted and crocheted a couple of years ago as a project to note 100 years since the armistice was signed.
In a year disrupted by COVID-19, the timing for this commemoration has been fortunate. The fort reopened to tours just over a week ago, so the volunteers worked on Monday to set up the Remembrance Day display.
"We're just so pleased we can put on a display," said Ms Smith.
Helping set up the display, Tracey Jones said it assisted visitors "remember what the Anzacs and everyone after them did".
"They kept our freedom," she said.
Fellow volunteer Graham Danks said while the restrictions brought on by COVID-19 were frustrating, it was no comparison to what those on the battlefields and the home front endured between 1914 and 1918.
"I think they did it tougher than we did really," he said.
Karen Smith said the difficulties imposed by COVID gave additional meaning to this year's Remembrance Day.
"It's a poignant reminder of the sacrifices people make for the good of others," she said. "If nothing else, this year has shown us what it is to make sacrifices, and to put the well being of others before ourselves."
This year's Remembrance Day service is being held at the cenotaph in Civic Park at 11am. The ceremony is smaller than usual, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
However, the City of Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch's president Ken Fayle said that didn't make the day any less significant.
"Even if you just stop for two minutes at 11 o'clock, just for a couple of minutes' silence, that would be good," Mr Fayle said.
Gazing at the fort's harvest of poppies and crosses, Karen Smith said, "It's so important we keep these traditions alive, and the spirit of Anzac alive."
