Haunting images of the faces of the 40 Australians killed in Afghanistan will be projected on the wall of the Australian War Memorial just before this year's Anzac Day dawn service. The new event will take place as Wing Commander Sharon Bown, RAAF, reads her reflections on leading a surgical team to the war zone.
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''It's very powerful and very moving,'' memorial director Brendan Nelson said on Tuesday.
''Each image will appear twice, over 13 minutes, and this is with the knowledge and concurrence of all of the families.''
Large crowds are expected at the dawn service, following a record attendance of 35,000 last year. In the lead-up to this year's event, 200 images from the Boer War to Afghanistan will be projected on the memorial's walls from 9pm on Thursday.
At 4.25am on Friday, Lieutenant Commander Desmond Woods, RAN, will read excerpts from letters and diaries from Diggers, ranging from the Gallipoli landing through to service in Somalia.
''They include descriptions of the deprivations of the men at Changi, excerpts from a letter from a man in bomber command in Europe writing home to his mother, and excerpts from a letter from one of the Diggers in a boat on his way to the Gallipoli landing,'' Dr Nelson said.
Commander Bown's readings will commence at 5am.
At 5.13am, the panoramic photograph featured in the memorial's Afghanistan exhibition - of Australian soldiers and Bushmaster vehicles in front of the harsh Afghanistan landscape with an Australian flag - will be projected for two minutes.
At 5.15am, all lights will be extinguished and a uniformed indigenous serving naval rating will play the didgeridoo.
Silence will be observed from 5.20am until the dawn service begins at 5.30am.
The address will be delivered by Ben Roberts-Smith, VC.
The national ceremony, beginning at 10.15am, will be attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
Mr Abbott will deliver the commemorative address.
For the parade, the RSL has asked the four living VC recipients - Keith Payne, Mark Donaldson, Mr Roberts-Smith and Daniel Keighran - to lead the large contingent.
The RSL is inviting serving men and women and veterans of contemporary conflicts to march immediately behind the VC recipients.
''My very, very strong and open invitation is for all serving defence force members and veterans of contemporary conflicts to come to the war memorial for Anzac Day, not only the dawn service, but also to participate in the parade,'' Dr Nelson said.
''It is extremely important to us that we say to them that our respect and admiration for them for what they're doing and have done for our nation is no less than it is for those of earlier conflicts and other operations.''
Dr Nelson has recently changed the night-time lighting of the memorial.
''There is much softer lighting of the face of the memorial than previously, and also the hall of memory is lit internally, highlighting the magnificent stained glass windows,'' he said.
