For Australians, no occasion could be more solemn or significant than ANZAC Day.
Every year, as the dawn breaks through in the east, we pause as a nation to honour the Australians who have given their life for our safety and our freedom.
Whoever we are, wherever we live, whatever our faith or background, we all unite behind a simple promise:
‘We will remember them’.
When we say these words at dawn services and at memorial marches, we mean them.
Which is why, as of next year, New South Wales will extend our retail trading restrictions across ANZAC Day, to make sure our veterans are recognised and free to take part in services throughout the day.
People will be able to shop if necessary, in cafes and restaurants and chemists, but supermarkets and large retailers will be closed until midnight.
This decision might involve some inconvenience, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy.
Remembering the fallen means stopping what we’re doing, putting aside our daily concerns, so we can properly reflect on the Australians who’ve gone before us.
It means pausing as a community – really pausing – to contemplate the sacrifices made in our name.
Over more than a century, those sacrifices have made our great country possible.
What’s more, those sacrifices continue to this day.
This week, New South Wales has announced a new permanent war memorial in Sydney, dedicated to the men and women who served in the Middle Eastern campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan.
This coincides with the first official commemoration for these operations in Australia, which will be held tomorrow at the Cenotaph in Martin Place.
As these younger veterans return home and we learn more about their experiences, ANZAC Day will only grow in significance over time.
Our veterans and their families give so much to this country.
They’ve uprooted their lives, put themselves in the line of danger, while living apart from partners and children for great stretches on end.
Many come home with injuries and scars – physical or mental – that take years to heal and recover from. Tragically, some never do.
Our veterans accept these risks, proudly and voluntarily, in our name as Australians.
The least we can do is give them a full day of thanks in return.
This opinion piece was originally published on page 13 of The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.