Anzac Day is a great Australian and New Zealand tradition, it is our day, a day to remember with affection, the courage of people and the value of friendship, to honour the dead and to acknowledge those who still suffer today, guest speaker Adam Sunderland told those gathered at Canowindra's Anzac Day service.
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"We do not celebrate victory or glorify war, we commemorate the human spirit, the spirit of the Anzac," he said.
He made mention of the many battles in which Australia fought in with distinction.
"April 25 is not about Military victory, as people we chose a day when loss of war first scarred our nation," he told those gathered in Memorial Park on Tuesday morning.
"The loss was felt across the whole community and it is a tragedy we can all associate with.
"If you think about it, Anzac is not a battle, Anzac is not a place, Anzac is a collective noun for a group of people.
"We salute their fellowshop and courage, we think of their families, those who stayed behind and fought their own battles.
"We think of the prisoners and the wounded, those who still suffer today.
"Above all we think of those who died for us.
"Anzac Day is a day for the people, it is not a day full of miliary parades, it is a day for gatherings and reunions and services of community involvement, reflection and honouring.
"In the face of adversity the Anzacs demonstrated beyond any doubt the military virtues of courage, duty, teamwork, resolution and self sacrifice.
"But to these they added a few unique qualities of their own, such as mateship, trust, a discipline based on mutual respect, initiative, resourcefulness, rye humour and often forgotten the respect and courage and capability of friend and foe alike."
Adam Sunderland is a corporal in the Engineer Corp of the Australiian Army.
