The service on North Beach at the Anzac commemorative site opened
with the mounting of the catafalque and a call to commemoration
by the Chief of New Zealand's Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Graham
Lintott.
"We are here
to honour all those who fell at Gallipoli and in all theatres
of war," he said.
In the pre-dawn chill,
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon told the crowd that "we
stand in awe" of the "courage, commitment and sacrifice"
of the troops from Australia, New Zealand, England, France and
Turkey who fought over the rocky Dardanelles landscape in 1915.
"They could
never have imagined what lay ahead as they neared these shores,"
he said.
"And we can
never hope to fully appreciate their deeds and of course their
pain.
"They gave birth
to the Anzac legend and gave legitimacy to Australia's nationhood,"
he added.
The Chief of Australia's
Air force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd, drew the ceremony to
its conclusion as the sun rose.
"At the going
down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them,"
he said.
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