Commander, it is a real honour for me to stand on this ship and stand before your crew to pay tribute to the crew of the HMAS Anzac and to pay tribute to all those who have worn our country's uniform over the last 114 years.
I have not taken time out of my busy schedule to visit you – you are my schedule. I am here to pay tribute to you. You are not some kind of a side visit or an accident to this trip to Gallipoli – you are the heart and soul of this trip to Gallipoli.
While we rightly honour those who fell here, while we rightly honour those who served here, this is not about the past – it is about the present and the future. It is about our ongoing fidelity to the traditions which were established back on 25 April 1915. It’s about the duty that all of us owe to our country; most particularly and most heavily, the duty that those who wear our nation’s uniform owe to the nation itself.
I am very proud of you.
I am very honoured to be your Prime Minister.
The Australian nation is proud of you.
We admire your professionalism, we salute your service and we know that you stand ready to serve our country in good times and in bad, in all sorts of different circumstances in a way that the rest of us are never called upon to serve.
So, thank you for what you do, thank you for the commitment that you give to our country.
I suppose this is a pretty special time for all of us because we are conscious that we are just at this moment in the shadow of great events. We are conscious just at this moment of the history which has been made here, not just 100 years ago but going back thousands of years. We are just a few miles from the great city of Troy – or the former great city of Troy – I guess the scene of one of the earliest amphibious landings.
So, there are many things that crowd our minds and crowd our memories at times like this but it is what we make of those things that matters.
It is what we do with the past which has shaped us which is important and I know that all of you will make the most of this.
I know that all of you will be even more encouraged to be your best selves in the days and weeks and months and years ahead.
Thank you.
[ends]