It might seem odd to remember a failed landing, but for Peter Swandale, president of the Bendigo District RSL it's where the Australian identity was forged.
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Mr Swandale said he was extremely happy with the number of people who came to the dawn service.
He estimated there were about 5000 to 6000 people present.
Among those at the service was Sergeant Dale Hannaford.
For Sergeant Hannaford, Anzac Day is about remembering his family members - he had two great-grandfathers who fought at Lone Pine - and the mates he lost in Afghanistan.
In the army for 17 years, Sergeant Hannaford said it was important to remember the sacrifice of soldiers.
"Because of the sacrifice and the freedoms that we have, that's why we do it," he said.
Mr Swandale said the meaning of the Anzac Day service was two-fold.
"For us it's remembering the 102,000 from Australia who lost their lives but it's also our time to meet our mates, catch up with them, chat with them, reminisce, so it's an important time for us," he said.
"It's a funny day, because we're again talking about Gallipoli and that was the day they landed, and it was a failure. But it also at that stage forged the identity that we are today, and that's something that we need to maintain, that spirit of the Anzacs."
He used the opportunity to call for improvements to mental health services for returned service personnel, drawing attention to a high suicide rate among returned troops.
Mr Swandale said the high suicide rate could be caused both by the pressures of transition, and the terrible things people saw at war.
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