For Terrance Coffey and many like him, Anzac Day is one of mixed emotions.
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For years he made the trip from Sydney's outskirts to the city for the Martin Place dawn service with his father William, a World War II veteran.
But now he travels alone.
His voice breaks as he shares how Anzac Day was a special time for his late dad to catch up with war mates and for Mr Coffey to watch him march.
"As the fellas started dropping off the tree, dad and I started coming here," Mr Coffey said.
"Dad is no longer with us so it's my way of remembering him.
"After this we'll go to the local RSL, sit where we used to all sit and have a couple of beers."
Mr Coffey was among about 5000 people on Thursday who gathered around The Cenotaph at Martin Place in darkness for the 93rd consecutive year.
Army Commander Forces Command Major General Greg Bilton said the arrival of young Australians on the shores of Gallipoli under the cover of darkness on April 25, 1915 was a seminal event in the nation's history.
"It's both reassuring and significant that here and in thousands of places across this great country and around the world, groups of Australians, young and old, have chosen to gather in the dark noiselessly just as those young men did," he told the crowd.
"This morning we reflect on that sacrifice of all those who have died, been wounded or become ill in the service of our nation and the impact on families and friends."
He praised the John Monash-led effort a century ago to return 160,000 weary and wounded Australians from the battlefronts in Europe and the Middle East and noted its legacy.
Since 1999, some 81,000 have served in East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
"As General Monash identified, preparing for and finding employment is the critical element of successful reintegration into civilian life," he said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Governor David Hurley, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and interim NSW Opposition leader Penny Sharpe were among the thousands to attend the ceremony.
Petty Officer Justin Brown, who brought his two sons Bennet and Samuel to the Martin Place service for the first time, said the day was time for him to remember his grandfather's service in the Kokoda Track campaign.
"They had it so hard," he told AAP.
"The environment they had to fight in was just unbelievable so a small tear every Anzac Day is worthwhile."
Australian Associated Press