Mateship at the heart of Anzac Day

We’re gathered here today to remember those who came before us. 

The people who died so we can have freedom. 

The people who fought and gave everything so we can have peace. 

To all those who’ve served and those who continue to serve: thank you. Thank you for the sacrifices you made so we can live freely today. 

I also want to acknowledge those who didn’t physically go to war, but sent a piece of their heart with somebody else. Mothers, sons, wives, brothers and sisters, families left behind who suffered devastating losses. 

To you I say: thank you and I’m sorry. I’m sorry you’ve had to carry that grief with you. 

We’ve fought wars across decades and countries - from Gallipoli to Vietnam, Korea and Afghanistan. 

As years go by, technology has changed and so has warfare. My grandfather was a light horseman in World War 1. Now soldiers are trained to fly drones. 

But what hasn’t changed is the values we think of when we think of these soldiers.

Honour. Courage. Integrity. Determination. Mateship.

Mateship is often forgotten, but it’s at the very heart and soul of what it means to serve your country.

Talk to any veteran. Usually what they remember most from their time in combat is the people they were there with.

The bonds of friendship forged in the trenches and made stronger on the battlefield. 

I want you to close your eyes and picture it. 

 In some of the worst moments of your life, you’re scared, exhausted and alone. 

Your heart is pounding, so hard you think it might beat out of your chest. 

It’s dark and you feel the chill to your bones. 

You’re covered in mud, slipping as you move through the trenches. 

The sounds of enemy fire pierce the air and you’re not sure how much more you can take. 

But your eyes meet someone else.

 Someone you’ve spent nights talking to about your families back home, the lives you built for yourselves before this war began. 

They’re just as scared as you are. But in that moment, neither of you are alone. 

You crack a smile. 

The other guy cracks a joke. 

And in the middle of it all, a war that will irreversibly change life as the world knows it, you’ve got someone who you can lean on. 

Someone to call a mate. 

For many veterans, some of their greatest memories are these moments of mateship. 

And for some of them, their saddest memories are the ones where that mate lost their life.

It’s an important value that we still see in the forces today. I was lucky enough to go to Talisman Sabre in Darwin and spend a week with an Army deployment there. 

Mateship was central to everything they did. There’s such a broad range of roles - from dog handlers to pilots, air control tower to infantry. And you couldn't deny the sense of camaraderie they’d created. How proud they all were to be part of their team, their community - their family.  

That experience taught me just how important mateship truly is. 

We ask every person here to remember the spirit of the ANZACs and all those who serve. To honour them through your actions. 

Mateship isn’t just about helping out your best mate of 20 years. 

It’s about community spirit. Helping others when they need it. 

It could be helping an elderly neighbour move a piece of furniture. 

Or volunteering for organisations like your local RSL or Legacy - organisations that are truly helping to make a difference.

It’s about having pride in your community. 

Being proud to belong to something bigger than yourself. Doing your part to make things better. 

It’s what the ANZACs did. In the chaos of war, they found comfort in mateship and the bonds they forged.

It spurred them on when they felt like they couldn’t go any further. 

An invisible hand on the shoulder when they needed it. 

They never gave up, because they wouldn’t let their mates down. 

We remember the war but this is a focus on the people. Not just as soldiers who fought, but as human beings who loved and laughed. 

Who probably got a twinkle in their eye when they tried to cheat in a game of cards.

Mateship is at the heart and soul of what it means to be an ANZAC. 

What it means to be Australian. 

As you think today about those who’ve served our country, I hope you’ll reflect on their mateship and what you can do to honour that.

*This speech was delivered at the Launceston 11am ANZAC Day service on 25th April 2025.