Community and personal commemorations

The act of remembrance

Commemoration happens when we remember a person, a group of people or an event. A commemoration can be a public activity, such as a ceremony, a memorial, a piece of creative art or laying a floral wreath. Or it could be a simpler act of remembrance, such as wearing a red poppy or a sprig of rosemary.

A shared responsibility

Commemoration is not only about ceremony. It is about understanding, respect and continuity. Whether through a large community gathering or a quiet moment at home, every Australian has the opportunity to honour those who have served. This ensures that veterans' stories remain part of Australia's collective memory.

Commemoration is a shared responsibility. It allows communities to recognise the service and sacrifices of Australians who have served in wars, conflicts, peace missions and humanitarian operations.

Through thoughtful local activities and personal acts of remembrance, we can:

• show respect to veterans and their families
• help preserve national memory
• strengthen intergenerational understanding
• uphold a tradition that connects past and present.

The following ideas are designed to be practical, inclusive and adaptable for communities of different sizes and for people who want to commemorate at home.

Community-organised activities

Communities may want to recognise:

• Anzac Day (25 April), the anniversary of the 1915 Gallipoli landing
• Remembrance Day (11 November), the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice
• other days of commemoration
• anniversaries of specific battles or peace operations
• War Widows Day.

You may also want to recognise local milestones connected to community members’ service. For example, the anniversary of a World War I recruitment march leaving your town.

Children might like to commemorate National Day for War Animals – 24 February. It's also known as Purple Poppy Day.

Local commemorative services

Community groups, schools, local councils and ex-service organisations often host small commemorative services. Even modest gatherings can foster strong community connections.

Practical steps include:

• identifying a suitable venue, such as a community hall, war memorial, school courtyard or public garden
• inviting local schools and youth groups to participate
• inviting local veterans and serving personnel to attend
• designing an order of service, such as a short address, the Ode of Remembrance, a minute’s silence and the Last Post
• ensuring accessibility for older attendees and people with disabilities.

Follow our ideas for planning a commemorative event. We guide you through the order of service, flags, music, poetry and speeches.

When planning a public event, check if you need written permission from your:

• municipal council to meet on public property, such as a park or war memorial
• municipal council to march on a local road
• state road authority to march on a major road
• state police force to control traffic for any road closures.

Some permits may take several weeks, so you will need to plan ahead.

Inclusive community events

Commemoration may also include:

• multicultural services, recognising the diverse backgrounds of Australian service personnel
• acknowledgement of First Nations service
• recognition of contemporary veterans, peacekeepers, peacemakers and humanitarian personnel.

Inclusive practices ensure all who have served are honoured.

Kitbags of resources

To help you commemorate, we provide 2 packs of printable resources. You can print the lyrics for the Ode of Remembrance and the Australian National Anthem in our kitbags.

Anzac Day Kitbag

Remembrance Day Kitbag

Online participation

Digital engagement ensures inclusion for those in remote areas or with limited mobility.

Where attendance at a local commemorative service is not possible, you could:

• watch a live broadcast of the service on ABC iView
• catch up on previous national commemorative services
• watch the Australian War Memorial's Last Post Ceremony.

Did you know DVA has created some virtual remembrance trails you can visit from home?

• Hellfire Pass Virtual Tour (1942–1943)
• Lemnos Remembrance Trail (1915–1916)
• Papua New Guinea Remembrance Trail (1942)

Caring for local memorials

Community volunteers often:

• clean and maintain war memorials
• research and update information about the names listed on honour rolls and memorials
• plant commemorative gardens featuring native species and rosemary
• install interpretive signage to explain local service history.

These activities are practical ways to ensure memorials remain places of reflection and education.

Liaise with your local council or historical society, which may already be involved in such projects.

Follow our advice on preserving war memorabilia.

School and youth engagement

Schools can support understanding of service by:

• incorporating military history into classroom projects
• encouraging students to research a local veteran
• hosting intergenerational talks with veterans or family members
• creating respectful displays of photographs, letters and other artefacts
• entering a wartime history competition.

Take a look at our free teaching resources. To receive a free printed copy of our books, contact us.

Youth organisations could assist at local commemorative services or help maintain local war memorials.

Storytelling and oral history projects

Documenting stories helps preserve personal experiences for future generations. It also ensures service across all operations is recognised.

Local groups often organise:

• oral history recording days
• exhibitions featuring local service stories
• public talks or panel discussions.

Check with your local council, library or historical society to see whether they hold collections of oral history interviews.

Read our advice before you start:

• recording oral histories with veterans
• researching an Australian veteran's war service
• Reflections: Capturing veterans' stories, a teaching resource.

Listen to these Australian veteran interviews:

• DVA Veterans' Stories collection
• Australians at War Film Archive.

At-home activities

Pause and reflect

Individuals and families can observe one minute’s silence:

• at dawn on Anzac Day – 25 April
• at 11 am on Remembrance Day – 11 November
• on other days of commemoration.

Lighting a candle or standing quietly together can create a meaningful moment of reflection.

You might also like to play some commemorative music, like The Last Post.

Learn and share

As a family, you could:

• read about Australian service in different wars, conflicts and missions
• read one of our veteran history books
• watch one of our veteran history short films
• watch documentaries, films or TV shows related to Australian military service
• discuss the meaning of service and sacrifice with children in age-appropriate ways
• learn about the symbols of commemoration we see on Anzac Day and other days
• play an interactive game in our Commemorative Activity Centre.

Learning strengthens understanding beyond a single day of remembrance.

Visit memorials and museums

Spending a quiet time reflecting on service and sacrifice is enjoyable in a dedicated memorial space.

You could visit

• a Garden of Remembrance in your nearest capital city
• your local war memorials – look up the Places of Pride national register.

Did you know Australia has declared military memorials of national significance? Find out if there's one near you.

You could also visit national and state museums and war memorials, which often have online exhibitions and collections:

• Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
• Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney NSW
• National Anzac Centre, Albany WA
• National Vietnam Veterans Museum, Phillip Island Vic
• RAAF Museum, Point Cook Vic
• Royal Australian Navy Museums
• Australians at War Film Archive
• Anzac Memorial, Sydney NSW
• Anzac Square and Memorial Galleries, Brisbane Qld
• Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne Vic
• State War Memorial and Honour Avenues database, Perth WA
• The Soldiers Memorial Avenue, Hobart Tas
• War Memorial, Adelaide SA
• Sir John Monash Centre, France.

Trace a veteran's wartime service

You might find it interesting to research someone's military service history. Find out when they enlisted and at what age, where they served and how their service has been commemorated.

To start, you'll need to know some basic details, such as:

• full name
• date and place of birth
• armed service in which they served
• approximate year of enlistment.

Depending on when they served, their defence records might be available online or on request from either the National Archives of Australia or the Department of Defence.

Take a look at our handy research guide.

You can also follow someone’s service journey by reading:

• personal diaries and letters, if you have them or they're publicly available
• unit and commanders' war diaries
• official war histories
• navy reports
• mentions in digitised Australian newspapers.

Make a virtual visit to places where they served using products like Google Maps.

Create a personal tribute

Making and sharing a personal gesture reinforces national gratitude.

On a day that’s meaningful to you:

• make a floral wreath for your front door or gate
• wear a red poppy or a sprig of rosemary
• bake and share some Anzac biscuits
• wear your relative's war service medals – in the legally correct way
• read and share war poetry
• play some commemorative music
• display a photo of a family member who served in your home or on your social media
• share a personal reflection on DVA's Wall of Remembrance.

Common hashtags on social media include #AnzacDay #RemembranceDay #LestWeForget #WeRememberThem.

Thank veterans for their service

Receiving a simple 'thank you' makes a world of difference to anyone's wellbeing.

You could:

• check on a mate who's a veteran
• write a letter of thanks to a veteran through an approved organisation
• send current-serving ADF members a care parcel or an email of thanks
• donate to the RSL's Australian Forces Overseas Fund, which sends care parcels.

Doing these things as a group or school class is a lovely remembrance activity.

Connect with veterans’ organisations

Australia is fortunate to have many ex-service organisations that advocate for veterans and their families, and charities that also support them.

To help with their work, you could:

• volunteer at a local commemorative service
• support local ex-service organisations, such as Legacy or an RSL sub-branch
• connect with a registered charity that supports veterans or their families
• donate to veteran support initiatives
• donate to the Office of Australian War Graves.

Your practical support complements symbolic remembrance.

Support a loved one

For some people, Anzac Day and other days of commemoration can trigger strong emotional reactions, such as grief, trauma and sadness for those who are no longer with us.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• OpenArms – Veterans & Families Counselling on 1800 011 046
• All-hours Support Line – Defence on 1800 628 036.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments, email education@dva.gov.au.

You can also reach us at this postal address:

Community Engagement Section
Department of Veterans' Affairs
GPO Box 9998
Brisbane Qld 4001