Anzac Day 2021

Heston Russell – Currumbin ANZAC Dawn Service 2021 

Today we wake up a little earlier than might be comfortable 

We move out into the darkness, into the cold, and we make our way to memorials across the country. 

We stand together and hear words of tradition being spoken, and hear the last post played. 

Each year we endure this small degree of hardship to bring home the memory of those men who boarded boats towards enemy shores 

I have seen war, I have taken lives and I have lost mates and men that I was supposed to bring home. But I can not imagine what those at Gallipoli faced on the beaches and in their lives beyond. 

ANZAC Day carries many different meanings for many different people. In a world where many choose to see only the surface, to focus on differences in race, colour, gender, preference, pronoun or otherwise. 

Today must be that day we look into the past and remember, through the example of those brave few, what truly defines a person – their character and actions – each and every day. Because on that day, brave Australians from all walks of life renewed their daily contract to the service of our country, as they strode forward into certain peril. And while thousands were lost within minutes, thousands more continued forward, past death and destruction that we could only imagine – and that they faced willingly so as we may never have to. 

My name is Heston Russell and I stand here as a Veteran and direct descendant of Australians who have served and fought in every war our country has committed to. My Great-Great Grandfather Edward fought in France in WW1. His son, My Great Grandfather Percy, Served in the second world war. My Grandfather Graymn Joe Lee Served in the Korean and then Vietnam War, and I stand here today this first ANZAC Day without him, but his medals on the right of my chest. My father Mark also served within the Australian Army on multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and now I stand here myself a Veteran of those same theatres of war only at different times in our nation’s history. 

ANZAC Day for me is certainly a day where I pause to reflect on the service of those who have gone before us & those who continue to serve today. It is that service which unites us in a bond of selflessness – inspired by a sense of purpose that is impossible to replace. Purpose that readily took us beyond any fear – other than that of letting down our mates, & our country. 

I miss that feeling of being truly inspired. Not for the savagery of war and chaos. But for the absolute perfection of being aligned in mind, body & spirit. 

I never took enough time to speak with my Grandfather & tell him of when I had witnessed the ANZAC Spirit alive clear as day. When in Afghanistan I watched my soldiers fight on – after losing one of our best on those lands far away, but for a purpose so strong it still inspires me today. 

Many of us have been sent to fight overseas. Many more have not, but they signed up and stood ready all the same. True courage is dedicating yourself to face uncertainty, pledging to stand with those around you or even alone, regardless of what may come, and while we don’t give out medals for moral courage alone, we need more of that courage today. 

Take a moment today to draw on the spirit of our ANZACs & be inspired to find courage in every form. & To the veterans here or watching at home. Thank you for your service. Service never leaves us – No matter how much time has passed. So it is our responsibility now to draw on our shared experience – to be inspired by our ANZACs, & be the custodians of their spirit. Let only our character & actions define us, now and every day from here. Lead by example and do what needs to be done, to renew your daily contact to our nation & ALL its people.