From a packed Brisbane city centre to a single street lined with candles, Queenslanders have attended Anzac Day dawn ceremonies without COVID-19 restrictions.
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Thousands endured wet weather to surround the Shrine of Remembrance and pay their respects in the heart of Brisbane.
"Everywhere I looked there were people. It's wonderful, it's like a return to normalcy," said Major General Stephen Day, the RSL Queensland state president who has served in the Australian army for 40 years.
"The weather wasn't kind to us but as an old drill sergeant once said to me, 'your skin is waterproof', so we go through what was a respectful, sombre commemoration."
Other dignitaries included Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland Governor Jeannette Young.
In contrast to the capacity crowd at the shrine, a handful of neighbours in the Brisbane suburb of Paddington held their own dawn service and parade, lining up to pay their respects as a solitary veteran walked down the street.
Trevor Robinson, 88, marched down a section of Oxford Street in full uniform as residents stood on the curb holding candles.
While ceremony organisers welcomed an end to COVID-19 restrictions, RSL Australia has continued its Light up the Dawn initiative that allows people to mark Anzac Day at home with a candle-lit salute.
"Light Up the Dawn is a great tradition that has come out of it," said Maj Gen Day, referring to pandemic restrictions.
"There's nothing like doing it in person, but it has been a tough couple of years."
The Anzac Day ceremonies around Australia are the first since forces withdrew from Afghanistan, where Maj Gen Day served with his son who attended the Canberra service on Monday.
An Anzac Day parade is also being held in Brisbane on Monday.
Overall there were 470 dawn services across Queensland on Monday, a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers.
"My message is our fallen and our veterans gave freely of themselves so we could live in a land that's free and fair - and we have inherited a land that is as free and fair as there is," Maj Gen Day said.
Australian Associated Press
