For decades after he served in World War II, the dress uniform of Sergeant Leonard Sylvester Dick lay hidden away in an Adelaide cupboard.
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But on Anzac Day 2019 it was finally again on display when Sergeant Dick's nine-year-old great-grandson wore it to the dawn service in the South Australian capital.
Caelan Ryan, who attended the service his dad Damian, said even though he never met his great-grandfather, he felt a connection to him through the hat, jacket and replica medals.
"It's very special to be here in memory of him and all the other Australians who fought," he said after the service on Thursday.
"One day we did research on him and we found out that he was in the 57th/60th battalion and he fought in New Guinea."
Damian Ryan said his grandfather was held in a Japanese POW camp for about three months before he was freed and eventually returned home.
Caelan has taken an interest in the family history and its link to the Australian Defence Force.
"He wears (the uniform) with a great deal of pride," Mr Ryan said.
"This is our first ever dawn service but I'm pretty sure we might be coming to a few more."
As the sun rose on Thursday, thousands gathered at the SA National War Memorial and spilled down North Terrace to mark Australia's national day of remembrance.
Ian Smith, chair of the RSL SA's Anzac Day committee, highlighted the military service of migrant communities, who sometimes had to overcome the restrictions of the White Australia policy and Defence Act in order to enlist.
"Recent migrants from many nations have a strong record of service in the Australian armed services that continues today," he told the crowd.
"Some had already served Australia before coming here, like the Afghan interpreters who are now proud South Australians."
Mr Smith also warned against using the Anzac tradition to promote "unthinking nationalism".
"We must also be wary of those that seek to misuse the service and sacrifice of our men and women to promote their own narrow agendas," he said.
"Such actions are unwelcome and we must protect ourselves and our ANZAC traditions from them."
The 2019 service marks the 104th anniversary of the landing of the Anzacs in Gallipoli, where tens of thousands of soldiers died.
It also marks 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, which ended the state of war between Germany and the allied powers.
Australian Associated Press
