Hey, it's Nat.
Welcome to this very special edition of BTN Newsbreak.
I'm here at the National War Memorial in Adelaide ahead of Anzac Day.
On the 25th of April every year,
people come together to remember those
who have fought and died for their country.
But this year, because of COVID-19,
regular services and parades have been cancelled.
But many Aussies are still finding ways to remember the day.
For me, Anzac Day is a day of remembrance
for all the soldiers that fought in the war.
A day dedicated to our nation's heroes,
from those fearless original Anzacs to all those who serve today.
CALE: Anzac Day is a special time for Aussies.
But this year, lots of us will be remembering from home.
Whether it's watching a dawn service on the TV,
baking Anzac biscuits,
or writing letters to our troops.
For me, Anzac Day means sacrificing a day
to respect the fallen soldiers that died on Gallipoli.
Anzac Day commemorates the day that
Australian and New Zealand armed forces
fought in their first major battle
on April 25th, 1915.
They landed here, in Gallipoli,
at a beach now known as Anzac Cove.
Every year, thousands of Aussies attend dawn services,
Anzac Day parades,
and even travel to Gallipoli to remember those that fought.
But this year, people are sticking to driveways instead.
On Anzac Day, buying a candle,
going outside onto your front porch, or balcony or driveway
at six o'clock in the morning with that candle,
and taking a moment to reflect.
These cadets from the Australian Air League
will be playing The Last Post tomorrow morning from their homes.
(PLAYS THE LAST POST)
So even though we're stuck inside, we will remember them, together.
Lest we forget.
Lest we forget. Lest we forget.
A World War II veteran from New South Wales
who hasn't missed an Anzac Day parade in 75 years,
has had some extra help to make this year's really special.
Henry 'Corky' Caldwell recently turned 100.
So he was fairly gutted
when Anzac Day wasn't going to happen this year.
That's his daughter, Suzanne, who shared his story on Facebook.
Corky got thousands of responses.
One of them was from Phil Heash, who owns a World War II Jeep.
MAN: A mate of mine in Wollongong rang me and said
that there was a very disappointed old digger in Grafton
that wanted a ride in a Jeep because Anzac Day was cancelled.
Turns out that it's the same guy, Corky,
that I take every year in our parade in Grafton.
So Phil took Corky on his very own socially distanced Anzac parade.
Many of you are learning from home,
and if you're at school, regular assemblies aren't happening.
But schools are still finding ways to commemorate Anzac Day together.
Welcome to the 2020 West Byford Primary School Anzac Day ceremony.
Welcome to Yakamia Primary School Anzac Ceremony 2020.
LEELA: These schools in Western Australia
couldn't hold regular services, but they still wanted to do something,
so they made these videos.
Where choirs would normally sing together like this,
they sang together like this.
# Stood and stared... #
Keeping safe distances, students film themselves laying flowers,
reading poems...
"As Anzac Day draws near, trumpets call for all to hear."
And reciting The Ode.
A poem by Laurence Binyon, written in 1914.
This verse has now become the Ode Of Remembrance
and has been used with commemoration services in Australia since 1921.
"Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn."
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."
School communities watching on together to keep tradition going.
Lest we forget.
Now, before we go, people have come up with lots of new ways
to show their appreciation on Anzac Day.
Let's take a look.
Clare from Queensland set up this tribute on her fence at home.
She made the display out of cardboard
and is obviously very talented with a pair of scissors.
So I'm just doing the haka for my Uncle Ron
who was in the Maori Battalion.
Dan from Darwin will spend tomorrow delivering meals to veterans,
along with poppies and special notes from schoolkids.
"Thank you for your service to Australia. William."
And finally, Indigenous artist Kim Brolga Williams in Queensland
started a bit of a trend
after she painted the light pole out the front of her house.
This is awesome.
Word quickly spread.
First the neighbours wanted their poles painted too,
and soon enough, so did lots of people all over town.
It's about just giving back to them.
You know, I haven't forgotten them,
and I don't think anyone else should forget about them.
That's all from us, have a great weekend.
See you later.
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation