Not just on behalf of the men and women who have served at home and overseas, but also for the young faces taking part in such a solemn occasion.

I watched as men who have seen things most of us can’t even imagine walked and drove down the main street of Tamworth.

I watched as tears formed in the eyes of the people standing beside me in the crowd.

I saw little children standing in awe of the machinery and the men at the wheel.

There was an atmosphere that is hard to describe – but easy to feel.

It was one of pride in these warriors and peacekeepers – for often they are one in the same.

There are currently around 3,300 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed to operations outside our borders; in Afghanistan (where the troops received a surprise visit from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of Anzac Day commemorations), in the Middle East, East Timor and the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Sudan.

It’s a personal sacrifice, whether they are involved in providing leadership training, tactical movement training, removing improvised explosive devices or conducting counter-terrorism training.

The Prime Minister knows that well.

"We pay tribute to those who faced the horrors of  war, and we reflect on the heavy burden of war still felt by many Australians,” Mr Turnbull said as part of his Anzac Day message.

"More than 100,000 men and women have died in the service of our nation.

“Many more have been left wounded in body and spirit.

“Their sacrifice has protected our liberty and our values. And their legacy continues in the work of those who serve today."

Since 2002, 42 Australian troops have been killed in Afghanistan and two in Iraq.

Locally the tradition lives on through the 12^th/16^th Hunter River Lancers – a Light Cavalry Regiment, which has its Regimental Headquarters in Tamworth and squadrons based in Armidale and Muswellbrook.

The Regiment's history can be traced back to 1885 when cavalry enthusiasts in Sydney first obtained permission to form a cavalry troop.

Their motto today is Virtutis Foruna Comes, which translated means “Fortune is the Companion of Valour”.

How appropriate.