On this day seventy years ago, Japan surrendered unconditionally and our then Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, declared: The war is over.
Cities and towns across the country erupted in celebration as people flocked to sing, dance, wave flags and light bonfires.
Men, women and children shared the relief and elation of a nation.
Today, in awe and in gratitude, we honour a generation that fought for freedom and prevailed.
Almost a million Australians served in the Second World War. Some 40,000 gave their lives in the struggle against tyranny.
They served with courage alongside our Allies, and today we especially honour the unbreakable bond with the United States that was forged in the Pacific theatre.
Together, and at great cost, our parents and grandparents won the war that defined their time.
Together, and with great resolve, they built a peace that endures to this day.
We thank them for conquering an evil that may otherwise have flourished.
We thank them for defending the free and democratic Australia we so cherish today.
To all who served in our name, we owe a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid.
You stood for what is right and good and decent when it mattered most, and our world is a better place because of you.
Lest we forget.
15 August 2015