Anzac Day is starting to feel like it used before the pandemic - albeit with continued disruption because of the building work.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Large crowds are expected at this year's series of events from the Dawn Service onwards to the veterans' march. But the main ceremonies will take place in the Reg Saunders Courtyard to the left of the memorial as you look at it from Anzac Parade.
Reg Saunders was the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian army.
The Governor-General will have two roles this year. David Hurley will inspect the march but also take part in it as the Commander of the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in 1997 when it was involved in peacekeeping and famine relief in Somalia.
More than 120 veterans who took part in what was known as Operation SOLACE will march with him.
There will also be a central role for Indigenous Australians.
After the Dawn Service, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association's ceremony will be held at 7:30am at the For Our Country memorial in the Sculpture Garden at the War Memorial.
"We will honour all First Nations peoples who have served in defence of country on Anzac Day," Indigenous Liaison Officer Michael Bell said.
READ MORE:
Until recent years, such events were held at a Ngunnawal country site on the side of nearby Mount Ainslie and not at the Memorial itself.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have served in every Australian defence commitment since Federation. More than a thousand are believed to have fought in World War I.
"We encourage everyone to attend these special ceremonies at the Australian War Memorial. Anzac Day means so much to so many people and it is a comfort to commemorate together," the director of the AWM, Matt Anderson, said.
The Memorial said proceedings would start on April 25 with images from the National Collection displayed from 3.30am, readings from the letters and diaries of Australian servicemen at 4.30am, and the Dawn Service would commence at 5.30am.
Large screens for public viewing are to be set up on Reid Oval, across from Limestone Avenue.
The veteran's march will start at 9.30am, starting on Anzac Parade at the intersection of Blamey Crescent and Currong Street. It will continue up West Road, through the grounds of the Memorial, passing the Stone of Remembrance before the Governor-General delivers the Anzac Day address.
Road closures will be in effect from 8pm on Monday, April 24 to about 4.30pm on the Tuesday. The Memorial says Limestone and Fairbairn Avenues, and Anzac Parade north of the Blamey Crescent and Currong Street intersection will be affected.
Limited parking is available onsite with priority given to vehicles displaying a government-issued Mobility Parking Permit. But there will be a free shuttle bus services for the Dawn Service and the veterans' march from the Canberra Centre and Russell Offices.
Register to Ride bus services will be available for the Dawn Service only by Transport Canberra from Belconnen, City, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, and Woden Interchanges.
Tickets are not required to attend the Dawn Service, ATSIVSA Ceremony or veteran's march, but are required to enter the galleries and attend the Last Post ceremony. Free timed tickets can be booked on the memorial's website.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
