Dawn Ceremony for ANZAC Day 2013

I never used to be a “morning person”. At university, I could stay up until dawn (studying!), but then I had to sleep for 24 hours.

Here in Brunei my body clock has changed completely. I need to get the boys to school by 0720. So I set my alarm for 0600. But I am frequently awake before then, keen to watch the sun come up out of Brunei Bay.

The dawn view from our house must rank amongst the best in the world. And because we are on a hill, you can’t hear any traffic on Kota Batu. Instead, you hear the water slapping on the hulls of fishing vessels bringing their catch home. (Now there’s a job for early risers.)

But to get me onto Muara Beach, booted and spurred, by 0530 in the morning does take a special motivation: namely, the ANZAC Day dawn ceremony. My home movie below captures the atmosphere, I think. It is an international occasion, uniting old adversaries as well as old allies.

It is wonderful that Brunei marks the spot where Australian troops came ashore in 1945. But the symbolism goes much wider than that. We are remembering all those who died for their countries, long ago in history, or within our own, privileged, lifetimes.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

As a diplomat, I admire the military – here in Brunei and wherever governments manage to marry force with discipline. As a father, another thing which gets me up in the morning is my wish to help build a world in which I never have to send my own sons into battle.

As a spectator of last week’s triumphant ASEAN Summit here in Bandar, I rejoice that – as in Europe, so here in S E Asia – leaders have succeeded in making war “unthinkable”.