Damp streets and deep silence: Brisbane remembers in the pre-dawn darkness

Before the going up of the sun, as with every Anzac Day, thousands gathered in the heart of Brisbane to remember those who have fallen.

The 2026 Anzac Day dawn service at Queensland’s Shrine of Remembrance was, as always, a sacred and sombre affair, with the crowd spilling over both Ann and Adelaide streets to Post Office Square.

There was a smattering of rain – a good reminder of the discomforts our Diggers endured, RSL Queensland chief executive Rob Skoda would later reflect – but Army chaplain James Hall’s prayers were answered as the ceremony commenced at 4.30am with stars poking through the parting clouds.

Marking 111 years since Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the shores of Gallipoli under Turkish fire, Queensland Governor Jeannette Young said the quiet moments before dawn allowed a grateful nation to honour and remember those who answered the call.

“Today, Australia faces a strategic environment of growing complexity and uncertainty as tensions persist around the world, reminding us that peace is never guaranteed – it must be protected, sometimes at great cost,” she said.

“Today, the role of the Australian Defence Force is more important than ever.”

Dignitaries, including Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, plus Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg and Senator Anthony Chisholm – representing Premier David Crisafulli and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese respectively – laid wreaths to the sound of a lone piper’s lament.

Then, the Last Post – that melody so ingrained in the nation’s psyche – followed by two minutes of impeccably observed silence.

The national anthems of New Zealand and Australia rounded off the official ceremony, leaving those gathered to reflect and leave their own wreaths before the eternal flame.

A tradition that has lasted 110 years since the first-ever Anzac Day service, also held in Brisbane, a year after the landing at Gallipoli.

With escalating global conflict, and events closer to home, this Anzac Day threatened to be overshadowed by outside events.

Victoria Cross recipient and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith was at the Currumbin service on the Gold Coast, 85 kilometres south of Anzac Square, but his presence still loomed large.

Spotted among the crowd was at least one “I stand with BRS” shirt.

After the ceremony, Skoda said it was heartening to see so many people come out, pre-dawn, to pay their respects.

“We’re seeing more and more crowds come out, and I suspect that people want to have that spirit, have that connection, have that respect and solidarity about the country that we are,” he said.

“Anzac Day is a great way to commemorate that.”

Former mainstays of Anzac marches are long gone now. There are no surviving World War I veterans, and Skoda estimated only about 200 survivors of the Second World War remained in Queensland.

“It’s our responsibility to carry on their service and their memory,” he said.

Sadly, though, there were always new conflicts to maintain Anzac Day’s contemporary resonance.

“If you look back, veterans of the Vietnam era weren’t treated appropriately when they came home, and hopefully, the country’s changed its tune on that over time,” Skoda said.

“I think people realise now, through those mistakes, how important it is to commemorate and respect those who have sacrificed for the freedoms that we have. It’s really a big movement now.”

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