Taking part in an Anzac Day Dawn Service holds significant meaning for anyone connected to the ADF.
This year, 23 veterans or family members of veterans have been selected to support DVA’s delivery of international Anzac Day Dawn Services.
Volunteers will be supporting teams in Türkiye (Gallipoli), France (Villers-Bretonneux), Malaysia (Sandakan), Thailand (Hellfire Pass), Papua New Guinea (Isurava) and Singapore.
Through their lived experience and family connections, volunteers bring unique perspectives to the team.
Supporting the delivery team in France is Australian Army veteran Francine Dudfield, who served as a medic and provided critical care across diverse environments including during deployments to the Middle East and South Pacific.
In anticipation of Anzac Day, Francine reflected that ‘there is something incredibly powerful about standing together in a place where so much history unfolded. Anzac Day is about coming together, remembering together, reflecting together, and honouring the values that define us. I feel proud to be part of something much bigger than myself.’
Royal Australian Navy veteran Corrie Lee is also supporting the France service. With a long family history of service dating back to her great-great-grandfather, who served in the Belgian Army on the Western Front during WWI, Anzac Day holds deep personal significance for Corrie. She shared that ‘growing up, Anzac Day was a day of reflection, stories and respect. Those values stayed with me throughout my own service and continue to shape how I approach opportunities like volunteering for commemorative events.’
Whether it’s through personal reflection, a family connection, or friendship, Anzac Day honours the service and sacrifice of Defence personnel and recognises the diverse and deeply personal ways many Australians connect with remembrance.
Adele Britton has volunteered to support the service at Sandakan, Malaysia in honour of her close friendship with WW2 veteran Ken Dick, formed while she was President of the Burnie RSL. Ken’s best friend, Private Horne, was a young Tasmanian serving with the 2/10th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers, who lost his life in the Sandakan Prisoner of War camp. Adele shared, ‘I always said to Ken that one day, at some stage in my life, I would go to Sandakan to remember his best mate, in honour of him.’ Adele said their friendship, sacrifice and legacy continue to remind her of the true meaning of mateship and the enduring spirit of service.
DVA is honoured to work alongside such a diverse and committed group of volunteers whose dedication and passion embody the Anzac spirit and strengthen the delivery of our international services.
Hear more from our other veteran and family volunteers supporting international Anzac Day Dawn Services here.
