It's a long way to Tipperary, and it's a long way from the sober formality of the Anzac Day dawn service to the two-up ring at the Cricketers Arms Hotel.
A rowdy crowd of serving and former defence personnel mixed with everyday punters at the Cooks Hill pub for the traditional flutter on the fall of two (or three) coins.
The beer and cash flowed freely as patrons took turns tossing the coins while the "boxer" running the game shouted: "Come in, spinner."
Zak Lamrock, a combat engineer based at Bullecourt Army barracks at Adamstown, was up $140 when the Newcastle Herald spoke to him at midday.
"Two-up has been a great thing. It brings everyone together," he said.
"It's great to celebrate on such a special day."
Two-up is played in clubs and pubs around NSW only on Anzac Day under the Gambling (Two-up) Act 1998.
Former serviceman Harry Duncan had been in the ring more than 15 times to toss the coins since arriving at the Cricketers at 8am after the dawn service at Nobbys.
"I've been up and down. About even. It's been good. I spun a lot of evens and tails this morning against the house, which sucked," he said.
"We do this every year. You get into the spirit. You pay your respects in the morning and you pay your respects to your fallen brothers during the day.
"They can't have a beer here, so you have a beer for them.
"You spin some coins for them. Doesn't matter whether you win or lose, as long as you have a good time for them."
Mr Duncan served in the 2nd infantry battalion for almost five years, completing two tours of duty in East Timor.
His sister, Mariah Hurst, and brother-in-law Mark Hurst, from Ashtonfield, served as Army air dispatchers in Afghanistan in the early 2010s.
"We go to the Nobbys dawn service, and I have to say out of all the dawn services I've been to, it's definitely the best," Mr Hurst said.
"They put a choir on, all the infrastructure, the screens, on the beach, and then the gun salute at the end, it's the best I've ever been to."
Ms Hurst, who was involved in handing over the Tarin Kowt air base to Afghan soldiers as part of Force Support Unit 8, said serving in Afghanistan had been as "tough" and chaotic as the images on TV news bulletins portrayed.
"What you see is what it was. I'm not going to sugarcoat it," she said.
"I don't talk about it.
"As a woman serving, I'm carrying a gun at action. Even going for a shower you take your gun and your gun is loaded.
"You're scared for your life. It was hairy."
Yabby racing replaced the two-up at the Cricketers in the late afternoon as the sun set on another Anzac Day marked by solemn reflection and lively celebration.
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