On board these small landing boats, tense and prepared, were men of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Men of ANZAC. A combined force of Australians and New Zealanders, who came together for this campaign.

Among these men, and those in the following waves, were men from Melbourne and Auckland, Sydney, and Christchurch, and many other cities, towns, villages and localities. And there were men from Junee.

The deeds of the men of Anzac have become part of folklore. They are part of our history, and today, one hundred years on, we rightfully commemorate these men and their service. These men are a part of our story, that began in colonial times, and is continuing today.

Within the context of Australia's military service over more than a century, we rightly focus on the Gallipoli campaign on this anniversary today. This campaign began eight months after the beginning of the war between the Allied powers, including Britain, and the Commonwealth countries, and other countries such as France, and Russia, and Germany, and her allies, which included Turkey.

Our involvement in this campaign was part of a greater Allied effort, to weaken the Turkish defences and capture the Turkish capital of Constantinople, in the hope that this would open the sea path to the Russian Empire in the Black Sea. It started with British and French warships, but ships alone were not able to clear the way, so it was decided to try and destroy the Turkish defences by land. And so, the landings took place, and the Australians and New Zealanders were a small part of a larger force, of mainly British and French soldiers who would land over the following days. But more of that soon.

Today, we rightly commemorate the men of Anzac. Of the few thousand who landed on the first day, there are three men, who we'll think about this morning. These men have a Junee connection, and we remember them with honour today. Their time at Gallipoli was  brief, but their example can inspire us, a century later.

Alfred Arthur Robins enlisted in Liverpool in December 1914. A 25 year old shearer from Junee, his family had connections out Old Junee-Junee Reefs way. He was of indigenous background on his mother's side, and we remember the indigenous Australians who served. Service number 1426, B company, 4th Battalion, of the Australian Imperial Force, his battalion landed in the second and third waves, around 8am on the morning of Anzac Day.

The hectic events of the first few days were such that we don't have many details, but the 4th Battalion saw frantic action, and Alfred was part of that. Alfred was noted as missing in action on April 30, and declared dead on May 2, 1915. His body was never recovered, such was the ferocity of fighting and changing lines of combat.

Two of his brothers later enlisted, and both were wounded in action, in France, being returned home and discharged on medical grounds. Alfred's time in action was less than a week, but we remember him, a century later. Alfred, Arthur Robins, you are remembered.

Wilfred Knight was born in Waipori, New Zealand. He came to Australia at 21 years of age, and was living and working in Junee at the outbreak of war. Service Number 710, attached to F Company, 1st Battalion, he landed in the second or third landing around 8am on April 25.

He was wounded in action that same day, and was evacuated to the transport ship “Seang Choon”, where he died. He was buried at sea on April 27. Some sources hold that Wilfred Knight was the first New Zealander to be killed at Gallipoli. This man, 25 years old, lost his life in the service of his county of birth, and his country of adoption. Wilfred Knight, you are remembered.

Stephen John Dyer was older, at 27 years of age when he enlisted in Melbourne in August 1914, some weeks after the outbreak of war. It is believed that he had been working in Junee as a carpenter prior to this. Service number 649 of the 6th Battalion, he followed the path of training in Australia, then by further training in Egypt.

He landed with the battalion in the second or third wave, around 8am. He was killed very shortly after the landing, and his body was never identified. A court of enquiry in 1916 noted that he was one of those who lost their life on April 25. His family were never able to get any further details, although they did receive some personal effects after the war. Little is known about him, but, Stephen John Dyer, you are remembered.

We walk the same streets that these men walked. We stand at this memorial, which none of those men would see, but which would commemorate their service to our nation. We remember them today.

The story of Gallipoli is well known. After the frantic action of the first days, with the allied forces striving to advance, and the Turkish defenders fighting to turn them back, Turkish reinforcements turned the campaign into a slower battle of attrition.

In mid May, Turkish forces undertook a counter-offensive, which was not a success. The campaign bogged down, with notable battles failing to greatly change the picture. August saw an Allied counter-offensive, with the battles of Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, and the Nek taking place.

The coming Autumn and Winter, along with changing world events prompted the High Command to evacuate the forces from the Gallipoli peninsula. This was achieved, with Anzac forces being withdrawn by late December, and the British forces by early January.

These forces would go on to fight in other fields of war. Australia lost almost 9,000 men killed and over 20,000 wounded during the Gallipoli campaign. New Zealand lost nearly 3,000 killed and 5,000 wounded.

We must remember, also, the involvement of the British, who lost four times as many killed and wounded as did Australia. India and Nepal also sent troops, and many were killed or wounded.

France lost similar numbers to Australia, and the Turks, fighting to defend their homeland, lost almost ten times as many killed as Australia, with over a hundred thousand wounded. The experience of the Turks is worth studying, and is quite profound. War has a terrible toll.

The story of Anzac quickly became a part of our national story. The young nation recognised that the sacrifice of war was worth remembering. In 1916, on the first anniversary of the landing, commemorations were held around Australia and overseas.

The traditions we follow today started there. Anzac Day has never been about glorifying war; it is about recognising the contribution and suffering of those who served.

As Australia's first large-scale entry into the First World War, Gallipoli is a large part of the Australian consciousness, and much has been spoken about it. It was, however, a relatively small part of Australian involvement in the First World War.

Before Gallipoli, Australian forces had seen limited action with a small force fighting German forces in New Guinea. After Gallipoli, Australian forces would fight in France and Belgium, in the trenches of the Western Front, and in Egypt and Palestine from mid-1916 until the end of the war, almost two and a half years later.

Names like the Somme, Fomelles, Moquet Farm, Baupame, Bullecourt, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, Amiens, Villers-Brettoneux, Hazebrouck and Hamel, along with Romani and Beersheba are written into our military folklore, and with good reason.

Of the 330,000 who served in what was then described as the great War for Civillisation, Australia lost around 60,000 dead and many more wounded in that war to end all wars.

Twenty years later, Australia would be involved in war once more. The Second World War was fought on a scale far greater than the first.

Many sons of First World War veterans would follow their fathers' examples, and enlist to fight in this new war. This war was truly a global conflict, and Australians served in the air, at sea, and on land. Again, we would learn of names like Greece, Crete, El Alamein, Tobruk, Malaya, Singapore, New Guinea, including Kokoda and Milne Bay, Lae, the Pacific Islands, and when the war came to mainland at Darwin and Sydney.

With Australians serving in other campaigns as part of British and other Allied forces, Australians served far and wide, taking the war to the enemies in most fields of conflict. They were supported from home, and women served in great numbers.

Their service reflected and repeated the experience of Australians serving in earlier conflicts right back to colonial times. The Sudan, the Boer War, and the Boxer Rebellion saw forces raised to serve.

The world tried to regain normality after the Second World War, but it wasn't long before Australians were involved in another conflict, this time in Korea. The Australian Army, Navy, and Air Force all saw action.

Names like Yongju, Pakchon, and Kapyong were added to the list of places where Australians served and died. The Malayan Emergency and the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation added their stories, in the context of a changing style of warfare.

Vietnam saw war with a difference, and those who served are to be acknowledged, especially given that there was opposition at home. It's a shameful part of Australian history, how some of these men were treated upon their return, and we can only offer our thanks to the Vietnam veterans.

More names entered our history; Long Tan, Tet, Coral-Balmoral, among others. Another important part of our story as a nation.

The modern era has seen Australians serving in the first Gulf War. Australian peacekeepers have served in Namibia, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, Bougainville,  East Timor, and the Solomon Islands.

Australians have served, and continue to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq. The military actions in these places have reflected a new reality of warfare. Those who have served, and are still serving, deserve our respect, our thanks, and our support.

Just last year, forces have been deployed in the fight against Daesh, or ISIS, and Australians continue to serve. They stand, prepared for war, so that we can know peace.

We honour the service of all Australians. We respect the service of indigenous Australians, who have contributed beyond their number. We respect those whose forebears came to Australia generations earlier, and those who were new to our land.

We are thankful for those who have stepped forward; their service is one of great example to us all. Warfare has changed greatly over the time that Australians have been serving their nation, and especially so in the century since the landing at Anzac Cove, that we particularly commemorate today. But for all the changes, some things stay the same.

War is a life-changing experience, and those who have signed their names on the enlistment forms, deserve nothing less than our greatest respect and support. Some people do not return home. Some people return from war, wounded in body, often changed in mind and spirit.

A recent veteran spoke to me of what he called 'a bruised and wounded soul', as he, like many of his comrades and forebears, had seen things that nobody should have to see. Many people have returned to struggles, trying to regain certainties and normality, and we're getting a better understanding of challenges such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those of us who haven't served have a responsibility to support those who have. And that is what we aim to do.

Today is a day of memory, a day of commemoration, and we remember all who have served. As we pause, then, today, we consider the actions of a century ago. Right at this moment, in the early dawn light of April 25, 1915, the men of the first wave were scrambling up the rocky slopes, as Turkish defensive fire crackled and whistled overhead.

Young men, who were living a vastly different life months earlier, did what they had to do. They have given us an example. We remember them, and all who have served today.

Lest we forget.