War hero Ben Roberts-Smith has delivered a message to Australia about Anzac Day after being swarmed by supporters while attending a dawn service on the Gold Coast.
Roberts-Smith was not part of official proceedings in Currumbin on Saturday morning, but shook hands with other attendees and posed for photos after braving the rain alongside thousands of others to pay his respects wearing his medals won in battle in Afghanistan.
After the service the Victoria Cross recipient told media he was always going to attend a dawn service despite his controversial arrest and war crimes charges, and spoke out in a short video published by 7News.
War hero Ben Roberts-Smith attended a dawn service on the Gold Coast where he received huge support from the crowd, with many approaching him afterwards.pic.twitter.com/YSp5IBYIml
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“Anzac Day is, and always has been, a sacred day within the Australian culture. It is so because it provides an opportunity for Australians to reflect and commemorate on the service and sacrifice of those who were willing to fight for our beloved way of life,” he said.
“Anzac Day is not about one individual, or one individual battle, or even a war. It is about acknowledging those, who when asked, answered a nation’s call to defend this country, in the hope they were making it a better place.
“This Anzac Day I would like to thank all the servicemen and women, the veterans and their families, and the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Australians are grateful for your service, they will remember you, so I would urge you to always be proud of your service, and remember that it is your actions that have helped make this country the great nation that it is. Lest we forget.”
After the service Roberts-Smith, who is Australia’s most decorated living soldier and a former corporal in the Special Air Service Regiment, said the support he had received from other attendees was “overwhelming”.
“I never thought about not coming, I was always going to be here,” he said.
“I know it’s bigger than me. It’s not a day where I think of myself at all. It’s about remembering every single person that has given us the country that we live in.”
Header image: Left, Roberts-Smith in his video message (7News). Right, with other dawn service attendees (X).
The post Ben Roberts-Smith delivers Anzac Day message after being mobbed by supporters first appeared on The Noticer.
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