Before first light broke over Melbourne, thousands had already gathered in silence.
Shoulder to shoulder, veterans stood among families and strangers alike, some bearing medals, others only memories.
United they assembled before the Shrine of Remembrance for Anzac Day’s traditional dawn service.
But the solemn mood was disrupted during the Welcome to Country delivered by Bunurong and Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Brown.
Heckles from the crowd could be heard, followed by booing but Uncle Brown continued.
Unlike previous years, loud cheers from the crowd drowned out the disturbance as he concluded his address.
During an unseasonably warm service, Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner thanked and honoured those who have served in conflicts and peacekeeping missions.
“Lest. We. Forget. Those words sum up Anzac Day,” she said.
“They sum it up because in the dark before dawn and in the light of the eternal flame; on this sacred day and on this holy ground, we are here to remember.”
Local shrines across Victoria were packed on Saturday, with RSL-led services held in communities including Dandenong.
Grace Hill, 99, was among the thousands of women who served in intelligence support roles during the war, and led ex-servicewomen at her local Anzac Day march.
Coming from a family of eight siblings, Ms Hill followed in the footsteps of two brothers who served in the army during the war, by joining the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service after her 18th birthday in 1944.
She wanted to play her part after the Japanese bombing of Darwin but didn’t have the typing skills to become a writer in the WRANS.
“They suggested a cook or stewardess and I said no thanks,” she told AAP.
Instead, she became a messenger.
After her training, Ms Hill deployed to the base in the Monterey apartments, a joint US-Australia intelligence unit, in South Yarra, about 15km from where she was born in Oakleigh and 10km from Malvern East where she previously lived with her three aunts.
There, she was sworn to secrecy – something she holds onto till this day.
“I’d be under the officer on duty, who had to tell me where the messages had to go,” she said.
Ms Hill served in the WRANS for two years and witnessed the end of the war, recounting people dancing in the streets and men drinking in celebration.
“It was just a joyful time,” she said.
Ms Hill continued on for another year after the war’s end in Sydney before being demobbed in Melbourne in September 1946 and returning to work as a clothing paper pattern maker.
As she nears her 100th birthday in May, the veteran said it was an honour to lead her local Anzac Day march.
“Being a World War II veteran, there’s not many of us left,” she said.
As Melbourne’s service concluded, people lined up to lay a poppy and pay their respects at the shrine, while the sun peeked through the clouds.
