Australians commemorate Remembrance Day

Australians have gathered at home and abroad to remember the sacrifices of Anzac servicemen and women on Remembrance Day.

A boy holds a cross and a poppy in hands during a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Saturday, November 11, 2017. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

People gather for commemorations outside the Australian War Memorial on Remembrance Day in Canberra, Saturday, November 11, 2017. Source: AAP

Ninety-nine years after the guns fell silent across the Western Front, Australians have gathered around the world to remember the sacrifices of the World War I servicemen and women.

The anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI was marked with Remembrance Day services in Australia and internationally on Saturday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joined New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern in Vietnam for a modest service at their hotel Da Nang, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The leaders laid poppies on a table displaying the headwear of Anzac forces, in a brief "private moment of reflection".

"Today Australians and New Zealanders remember every Anzac serviceman and woman who has made a supreme sacrifice to keep our nations free," Mr Turnbull told those gathered.

"Anzacs created an unbreakable bond between us and created a legend. We hold them dear in our hearts and minds."

At Martin Place in Sydney, more than 300 people observed a minute's silence at a service attended by NSW Governor David Hurley and state and federal politicians.

For attendee Jan Brenton, the day also marked 75 years since the death of her father on board a British submarine during World War II.

"Every year, wherever we are in the world, we come to the cenotaph," Ms Brenton said.

She said she was just a child when her father died and didn't have a lot of memories of him, but she thought of him with love.

"When you're six it doesn't mean anything to you, you don't realise the years are going to go without your father being in your life," she said.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra said the Anzacs fought and died for the values and freedoms Australians enjoy today.

"They were volunteers who answered the call of the country, the country that will be forever grateful," he said.

"In the years since, the men and women who put themselves forward to defend their country, our country and their loved ones, our loved ones, have known sacrifice just as great."


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Source: AAP

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