Australians and New Zealanders marked Anzac Day from outside their homes as memorial ceremonies and marches were hit by the pandemic.
The annual day of remembrance for the countries’ war dead is traditionally the year’s largest trans-Tasman event but the ongoing crisis meant large gatherings were not possible.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern kicked off proceedings with an Instagram post showing a wreath outside her residence in Wellington, as well as her and fiance Clarke Gayford standing with her father, Ross Ardern.
Her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison kept things brief, simply tweeting a photograph of himself with wife Jenny at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra with the caption “Lest We Forget”.
Mr Morrison earlier delivered the commemorative address at the AWM, with the memorial’s Twitter account encouraging people to upload photos of themselves outside their homes for the traditional dawn service.
Mrs Iuli also posted the Ode of Remembrance from Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen, first published in The Times in 1914, in English and Maori.
Lisa Roper posted a photo from her street in nearby Ipswich, with neighbours shown standing respectfully by candelight.
Anitra Wells photographed her sleepy sons in matching flannelette pyjamas outside their Melbourne home during what she described as “one of the most moving experiences”.
Anzac Day – April 25 – commemorates the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand.
Thousands of Anzac troops – Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – died in the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli campaign.
But the plan backed by Winston Churchill, then first lord of the admiralty, was flawed and the campaign, which faced a heroic defence by the Turks, led to a stalemate and withdrawal eight months later.
Its legacy is the celebration of the “Anzac spirit” – courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship – shown by the Antipodean troops.
The Australian High Commission will hold a special commemoration service hosted by the High Commissioner for Australia and the Acting High Commissioner for New Zealand from their respective homes in the UK from later on Saturday.
