We gather here in silence, here in this great free city of Seoul. Here today, as the guests of our friends, the people of the Republic of Korea, we acknowledge the men and women of this nation who have so valiantly served their country.
We offer these words we mean so deeply.
Yet on ANZAC Day, only our silence truly speaks for us.
From our war memorial in Canberra to our war graves at Gallipoli, silent Australians gather together to fulfil our great national covenant: in the morning, we will remember them.
In our silence today we remember those we have lost.
Over 100,000 Australians have died for us in war, from before the first ANZAC Day to the attack which took the life of Sapper Jamie Larcombe in Afghanistan this year - each of them one of us; each of them lost to us now; each in essence an ordinary Australian who we asked to do an extraordinary thing.
Lance Corporal Leonard Keysor was one of Australia's 98 Victoria Cross recipients.
A clerk before enlisting, he fought in the battle of Lone Pine in August 1915. Leonard caught Turkish bombs mid-flight before lobbing them back into the Turkish trenches.
This was extraordinary.
Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith single-handedly assaulted two Taliban machine gun positions to enable his mates to continue with their operation. A typically reluctant hero and a humble man, Ben had been prepared to give his life for his country.
This was extraordinary.
Yesterday, I was honoured to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong and spend time with another group of Australians and New Zealanders who did extraordinary things.
As the sun rose on 25 April 1951 their job at the battle of Kapyong was nearly done.
Today, they return, silent.
On this ANZAC Day we particularly honour 3RAR and their Canadian, New Zealand, British and US comrades.
Many of those veterans are here today.
Your presence here along with many other veterans of the Korean War makes this a special ANZAC Day indeed.
On a day when Australians are a people who remember, we remember the Australians who serve our country with courage and distinction in uniform overseas, the men and women of our Defence Force, Australians who are so much a part of our nation's story and soul that their hat itself is a great symbol of who we are, and the badge of shining swords they wear on it we call the Rising Sun.
This ANZAC Day I say to every member of our Defence Force:
I know that the Australians who came before you and served our nation in uniform in the past are proud of you. I know that because I am here with them today. You are their worthy successors.
On this day we remember also the Australians who come home, their lives changed forever.
We remember every family who mourns the loss of a loved one.
We remember the ordinary Australians who we ask to do extraordinary things.
We remember the Australians who died for us, the original ANZACs - young men of a young nation who forged a legend of courage and mateship on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
We remember the many who came after them.
And, in particular, here today, the Australians who took their final breath on Korean soil 60 years ago.
Australians do remember them. Australians will remember them.
We remember them with our silence.
Lest we forget.