Last year, we attended ANZAC Day here in Phnom Penh and its my first time, you can reda it here…but anyway, here’s a little bit information what is ANZAC Day.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name. After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or dawn ceremony became a common form of Anzac Day remembrance during the 1920s. Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to “stand-to” and two minutes of silence would follow. At the start of this time a lone bugler would play “The Last Post” and then concluded the service with “Reveille”.

This year we decided not to go but K’s been doing the Dawn Service each possible year, we actually didn’t register but for the last minute Kent said (again) that we are going.

At 4am, I am awake already and left home by 4:30am…15 minutes after we are at the Australian Embassy, lucky they let us come in even without registration card but they asks for our passport which we have with us.

They gave us the Order of Ceremony, candle and a sprig of rosemary with red poppies.

In Australia, sprigs of rosemary are often worn on lapels and in New Zealand poppies have taken on this role.

ANZAC DAY, Dawn Service commenced at exactly 5:15am…typical modern dawn services follow a pattern that is now familiar to generations of Australians, containing the following features: introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, recitation, the playing of “The Last Post”, a minute of silence, “Reveille”, and the playing of both New Zealand and Australian national anthems.

After the service, everyone was invited to join for a gunfire breakfast at the Cambodiana Hotel which Kent and I went…then left the hotel before 8am and went straight to Gloria Jeans Coffee to have more coffee and K read Australian newspaper. Went home before 9am and Isabelle’s still sleeping, CJ’s at school already.