As ANZAC Day approaches, I’ve noticed something. Our national conversation feels louder than usual. More opinion. More division. More certainty from people who, if we’re honest, don’t carry the full weight of what they’re speaking about.
This year, more than ever, ANZAC Day matters. It’s an opportunity to bring our country back together, even if it’s just for a moment, for a day. We need to feel that connection again. And that journey back to oneness can start on April 25, at a dawn service.
The situation surrounding Ben Roberts-Smith continues to polarise opinion across the country.
Some are certain of one view. Others are just as certain of the opposite.
But the reality is this: “Very few people carry the full weight of what actually happened. And most of us never will.”.
And that’s why I believe this ANZAC Day matters more than ever.
Because ANZAC Day is not about opinion. It’s about perspective.
A personal reminder of what matters
For me, ANZAC Day has always been deeply personal.
I think of my grandfather, Ernie “Wiggy” Kempton, my Pop.
He wasn’t just a soldier. He was my father figure in my early years. A man of strength, humour, and quiet resilience.
Pop served 1,963 days in the Australian military during World War II, including 1,155 days in active service overseas.
His stories weren’t always about combat.
They were about mateship.
Rolling a truck full of soldiers on the way to Cairo for some “downtime” … and having his pay docked for the damage he caused. Taking cheeky shots at a Japanese General on a white horse. Finding ways to disrupt enemy rations just to gain an edge.
There was humour in his stories.
But there was also weight.
He spoke quietly about losing his brother to a sniper. About separation. About uncertainty.
And yet, through it all, he carried something that stands out to me even more now than it did back then…
Perspective.
A diary entry we should never forget
One of the most powerful things I have is Pop’s war diary.
No filters. No headlines. No opinions.
Just raw, human truth from someone who was actually there.
On the final day of the war in 1945, he wrote:
“Cease fire. 9:30 pm – NEVER FORGET. Thinking of all the folks at home – THANK GOD. Oh, I’m so happy… Relief and happiness. A night I’ll never forget. Dear God, thank you on behalf of humanity.”
Read that again.
After years of war… After loss… After everything he had seen…
His focus wasn’t anger. It wasn’t judgment. It wasn’t division.
It was gratitude.
What ANZAC Day is really about
In today’s environment, it’s easy to get pulled into debates. To feel like we need to take a side. To have an opinion on everything.
But ANZAC Day asks something different of us.
It asks us to pause.
To step back from the noise.
And to remember what actually matters: ANZAC Day is about unity. It’s about respect, gratitude, and perspective.
It’s about recognising that the freedoms we enjoy today were paid for by people who carried burdens most of us will never truly understand.
And importantly…
It’s about doing that together.
A message that still lives on
Tucked into the middle of Pop’s diary was something else. A message from my Nan, written before he deployed, for him to find while he was away.
She wrote:
“My Husband, oh how I love this husband of mine. So tender, loving and so fine. Never have I known such true love, for which I thank the Lord above.”
And Pop’s response?
Simple. Powerful. Timeless.
“Happiness is Freedom, and Freedom is Courage.”
Seven words.
But they say everything.
Mental fitness isn’t new, it’s proven
Today, we talk a lot about resilience. About mental fitness.
But the truth is, it’s not new.
Men and women like Pop lived it.
Not through theory. Through experience.
They didn’t avoid hardship. They carried it.
They didn’t eliminate fear. They acted despite it.
They didn’t always have certainty. But they had purpose. And connection. And perspective.
And that’s what got them through.
Don’t let distraction replace perspective
This is why I come back to where we started. The current national conversation. It’s easy to get caught up in it.
But we need to be careful not to let it distract us from what ANZAC Day represents.
Because if we lose that perspective… If we allow division to override gratitude…
Then we miss the point entirely.
How we honour it this year
This ANZAC Day, my encouragement is simple. Take a moment. Whether that’s attending a dawn service, standing quietly in your driveway with a candle, or just pausing in reflection.
However you choose to acknowledge it…
Do it with intention.
Do it with gratitude.
Do it with perspective.
Because leadership, personal leadership, starts with how we choose to see the world.
And on this day, more than any other, we are reminded:
We live in a remarkable country.
Built on sacrifice. Held together by shared values. And strengthened when we choose unity over division.
Final thought
This ANZAC Day, don’t get pulled into the noise.
Pause.
Reflect.
Give thanks.
Stand beside those who stood for us when we needed them.
And carry forward the lesson left behind by all our defence personnel, like my Pop, who have served, are currently serving, or made the ultimate sacrifice:
“Happiness is Freedom, and Freedom is Courage.”