Veterans commemorated and celebrated on Anzac Day

Tens of thousands of Australians attended dawn services across the nation as thousands more veterans and service personnel then marched on Anzac Day.

DAWN SERVICE ATTENDANCE

*Sydney - more than 10,000 people attended the dawn service at Hyde Park, with thousands more marching in the parade.

*Melbourne - About 40,000 people braved the brisk cold to commemorate the Anzacs before about 10,000 people took place in the march.

*Brisbane - Some 12,000 to 15,000 people attended Anzac Square in the CBD.

*Canberra - About 30,000 people attended the Australian War Memorial for the dawn service before an estimated crowd of 5600 people watched as 1000 current and former defence force members march from the top of Anzac Parade.

*Gallipoli - About 1800 were expected to pay tribute on the shores of Gallipoli where the Anzac legend was first forged.

*Villers-Bretonneux, France - Over 2200 people, the most since 2018, commemorated the fallen soldiers of the two world wars that rocked Europe.

KEY QUOTES

"Anzac Day has never asked us to exalt in the glories of war, Anzac Day asks us to stand against the erosion of time, and to hold on to their names, to hold on to their deeds."

- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

"We remember them so we don't forget who we are: A people who choose courage over cowardice, camaraderie over tribalism, endeavour over indolence, gratitude over resentment and national pride over national aversion."

- Opposition Leader Peter Dutton

"Each Australian commemorated here served our nation during our darkest hour. Each Australian commemorated here died after being beaten, tortured, starved and stripped of their humanity."

- Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite speaking at the Sandakan Memorial Park in Malaysia.

"We remember with thankful hearts of those who have made the supreme sacrifice for us in times of war."

- Army chaplain Phil Riley

"Whether people are serving at home or deployed or completed the service, they are all veterans to whom we owe so much. We give thanks for their willingness to defend and protect Australia."

- Vice Australian Defence Force chief Vice Admiral David Johnston

AUSTRALIAN LEADERS COMMEMORATE

* Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began the day at a dawn service at the Isurava battlefield in Papua New Guinea before visiting an RSL in Townsville.

* Opposition Leader Peter Dutton attended the dawn ceremony at the Bray Park-Strathpine RSL in outer Brisbane.

* Defence Minister Richard Marles was in Gallipoli to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the Anzac's landing on the Turkish shore during World War I.

* Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite paid tribute to Australian soldiers who fought and died in Malaysia at the Sandakan Memorial Park.

* Veterans Minister Matt Keogh gave a commemorative address at the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux, which was the site of major battles on the Western Front in World War I.

* NSW Premier Chris Minns attended the Martin Place dawn service in Sydney.

* Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen was at the Shrine of Rememberance dawn service in Melbourne.

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