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AAP
Jacob Shteyman, Andrew Brown and Farid Farid

Aussies mark Anzac memory of diggers young and old

Ken Solomons, a 101-year-old World War II veteran, took part in the Anzac Day March in Sydney. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

From major cities to regional towns and suburban centres in between, Australians have gathered to commemorate the nation's veterans on Anzac Day.

On the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, tens of thousands attended dawn services and marches before the more-solemn activities gave way to traditional games of two-up at the pub.

While the majority of the morning's events were sombre and respectful, a handful were disrupted with interjections, booing and heckling.

An ADF member at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne
Anzac Day ceremonies marked the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

At Melbourne's dawn service, a self-professed neo-Nazi was arrested after booing and calling out during a Welcome to Country from an Indigenous elder, actions that were widely condemned.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who attended the dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, said there was no place for those who disrupted the service.

"A neo-Nazi disrupting Anzac Day is abhorrent, un-Australian and disgraceful," he said.

People at the Melbourne dawn servce
Hecklers at Melbourne's dawn service have been condemned for their actions. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh described the behaviour as disgraceful.

A heckler also disrupted a Welcome to Country in Perth during commemorations, while an attendee at the Canberra event shouted "free Palestine" before the national anthems were played.

Elsewhere, bouts of heavy rain in Sydney and Brisbane were no deterrent as large crowds gathered for early services and subsequent parades.

Anzac Day, held annually on April 25, recognises the more than 1.5 million Australians who have served in wars and peace operations, including 103,000 who lost their lives.

Among the crowd at the Sydney dawn service was Gwen Cherne and her children, who lost their husband and father Peter to suicide in 2017 after a long and distinguished military career.

She now serves as Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner, saying she personally understood the sacrifices of veterans and their families who "make sure our society doesn't crack".

Surf boats perform a burial at sea
Surf boats performed a poignant burial at sea during the Anzac Day dawn service on the Gold Coast. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

At Elephant Rock on the Gold Coast, a solemn acknowledgement of sacrifice was held with the ashes of veterans who had recently died given a ceremonial burial at sea during one of Australia's most poignant dawn services.

Mr Albanese, who like his political opponents suspended election campaigning on Friday for the commemorations, said Anzac Day was a day to contemplate the debt today's citizens owed to those who served.

"Each year, we renew our vow to keep the flame of memory burning so brightly that its glow touches the next generation and the generation after that," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Canberra's ANZAC Day dawn service
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed Australia would always remember those who'd served. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton laid a wreath at a dawn service in his electorate of Dickson in Brisbane's northern suburbs, alongside his wife Kirilly.

He said commemorations in 2025 were particularly significant, coming on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"Barely a city or town, a suburb or street, a community or citizen was unscathed in some way by the catastrophe of that all-encompassing conflict," Mr Dutton said.

Dawn services and marches across the nation honoured the enduring contributions of service personnel at Gallipoli and the 110 years since, RSL Australia national president Greg Melick said.

"The Gallipoli campaign was the first major military action involving Australian and New Zealand forces," he said.

People hold signs of gratitude in Sydney
People of all ages and walks of life gathered to mark Anzac Day across the nation. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

"They held their ground against almost impossible odds for eight months in the ravines and gullies of that rugged battleground, suffering terrible casualties.

"They fought with endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, and mateship."

Governor-General Sam Mostyn, whose father served in the army for four decades, is the most senior Australian representative at a dawn service at Gallipoli Cove.

Services are also being held across many European battlefronts from World War I where Australians fought, including Villers-Bretonneux.

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