Commemorate Anzac Day

Sharing stories of service

Each year on 25 April, Australians gather at dawn to commemorate Anzac Day and remember those who have served in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

The Anzac Day Dawn Service starts at 4.28am sharp at Brisbane City's Shrine of Remembrance, Anzac Square, located between Ann and Adelaide Streets. 

This Anzac Day, State Library of Queensland is shining a spotlight on the letters, diaries, and personal recollections of Queenslanders, whose stories of service collectively span more than a century.

Explore the free interactive exhibition inside Anzac Square Memorial Galleries – open special hours from 5:30am to 3pm on Anzac Day – or discover ways to commemorate and place a poppy from home through our award-winning program Anzac Stories.

Our stories

Learn more about the Queensland heroes we’ll be honouring this Anzac Day.

Constance Mabel Keys is one of Australia's most decorated nurses. The youngest of seven children, Constance grew up at Mount Perry, west of Bundaberg.

Warrant Officer John James (Jack) Flynn survived the infamous Thai-Burma railway, and six days adrift following the sinking of the 'hellship' Rakuyo Maru, and returned to Singapore to evacuate recently released POWs. 

While serving in Afghanistan in 2012, Curtis McGrath stepped on an improvised explosive device and his life was changed forever. 

Read more about these Queensland heroes

Portrait of nurse Constance Mabel Keys, 1914
Man and women looking at light board in World War II Memorial Gallery

Visit Anzac Square Memorial Galleries

Start your Anzac Day by delving deeper into Queensland’s military history on an interactive journey from World War I to today inside Anzac Square Memorial Galleries – a free exhibition curated by State Library.

Located beneath the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane CBD, the Memorial Galleries will be open special hours, from 5.30am-3pm, on Anzac Day (Monday 25 April) for patrons wishing to explore the exhibition or place a poppy, wreath, or message of remembrance in honour of Queensland-associated battalions, regiments, and other units.

Plan your visit

Anzac Day talk

Visitors can also join our team for a free talk on the History of Anzac Day followed by a tour of the galleries guided by our friendly team. There are two sessions to choose from: 10:30-11:30am on Sunday 24 April, and 1:30-2:30pm on Anzac Day, Monday 25 April. These popular talk and tour sessions have sold out in previous years so book early to avoid disappointment.

Book now

Group of high school children using touch screens at Anzac Square
Design and Start up awards

Ask Anzac Stories

Commemorating Anzac Day from home? Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, you can reflect on the bravery and sacrifice of Australia’s armed forces anytime with help from your voice assistant. It’s simple. Just ask Amazon Alexa or your Google Assistant to "Ask Anzac Stories" and follow the prompts for ways to commemorate.

Once activated, you’ll be guided through a selection of moving stories from State Library’s military collection. You can also listen to The Last Post and request a poppy be placed on your behalf inside Anzac Square Memorial Galleries through this award-winning program.

Accessing Anzac Stories is simple. To start:

 · Say ‘Ask Anzac Stories’ using Amazon Alexa or your Google Assistant and follow the prompts to hear a selection of stories from veterans retold from letters and diaries.

· Say ‘Place a Poppy’ for the team at Anzac Square Memorial Galleries to place a poppy in an Anzac Square gallery of your choice.

· Say ‘Listen to the Last Post’ to observe a minute’s silence.

If you don’t already have an Alexa or Google Assistant-enabled device, you can still access the service by downloading the Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant app onto your smart phone.
Download Alexa on Apple app store
Download Alexa on GooglePlay
Download Google Assistant on Apple app store

Read

You can also explore State Library’s military collection online – including stories, letters, photographs (including Queensland soldier portraits) and much more – through One Search.

First World War poems
Black and white photograph of a crowd of women and children watching RAAF recruits march along Queen Street Brisbane. An elderly woman throws confetti over the marching men.

Contribute to the collection

While you’re online, you can help State Library document the story of Queensland by logging into Explorer and tagging/commenting on existing State Library collection items or sharing your own story of service.

To access Explorer: 

  1. Log in and create an account 
  2. Click on the ‘Remembrance Day in Queensland’ photo set
  3. To upload your own Remembrance Day photos, click on any image within the set to see the upload option.

Research your family

Learn more about your family’s war history by searching for war service records through the National Archives of Australia. Explore the collections here.

State Library has digitised soldier portraits in The Queenslander and made them available online through our One Search catalogue. The best way to search for a soldier is by surname, including the word 'soldiers' in your search terms, and limiting your search to SLQ Collections.

Man standing in front of memorial plaque at Anzac Square Memorial Galleries

Share your memories

Don't forget to share your Anzac Day experience with us by using the hashtags #AnzacSquare and #AnzacDay2022 on social media.

Stay in touch

Be the first to know about upcoming commemorative events at Anzac Square by subscribing to our e-newsletter. You can also stay up-to-date with the latest news from Anzac Square by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

People standing on driveway at dawn commemorating

2022 Anzac Day Services

Find an Anzac Day service near you wherever you are in Queensland with RSL's search tool. 

You can find the dawn service, main service, parade or march that is best for you by easily searching through the 470 services that RSL have listed.

Find your service with RSL Queensland