Australia and New Zealand honour military in Anzac Day memorial services

SYDNEY (The News Pulse) - On Friday, thousands of people assembled throughout Australia and New Zealand for Anzac Day, a public holiday honoring servicemen and women who served and perished during times of war.

Anzac Day initially commemorated the nation's involvement in the failed attempt to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey during World War I, a battle that led to approximately 130,000 casualties from all participating countries.

On April 25, 1915, during a critical event, thousands of soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) were involved in a disastrous amphibious assault launched by British Empire forces along the region's small shores.

Today, Anzac Day pays tribute to all Australian and New Zealand service members who have participated in conflicts.

On Friday, approximately 7,500 individuals participated in an early morning ceremony in Sydney, which is the biggest city in Australia, as per reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This was followed by the traditional parade of veteran soldiers through the heart of the capital city of New South Wales.

Various significant ceremonies commemorating the occasion, which is observed nationally, took place at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, along with events in the capital cities of Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Hobart.

A hundred ten years have passed since the initial Anzacs boarded their vessels and paddled into history," stated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an announcement. "Time marches on, yet we continue to gather to pay our respects to them and to everyone who has joined their ranks subsequently.

In New Zealand, which supplied roughly one-sixth of the forces for the Gallipoli campaign, similar commemorations were held, featuring a significant ceremony at the nation’s war memorial in the capital city, Wellington.

At Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey for Anzac Day, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon mentioned that he toured battlegrounds and graveyards where approximately 2,800 New Zealanders lost their lives during the unsuccessful operation.

"Nothing in my life has felt as humbling and touching as retracing the steps of the ANZACs," Luxon stated on X.

(Reported by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Edited by Cynthia Osterman)