Children from Eurobodalla schools are among those marking 100 years since the Gallipoli landing.
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The adults teaching them about this conflict and the other wars Australia has been involved in have an enormous responsibility.
An unblinking focus is required if we are to truly do justice to everyone involved in those conflicts - diggers, nurses, stretcher bearers, civilians on the ground - and to those who waited at home.
Wording such concepts for a child’s ears will always require an uneasy balance.
World War I began with soldiers from both sides being told they would be home by Christmas.
Many young men from regional towns such as those in the Eurobodalla were recruited, believing they were heading for high adventure.
These ideas proved false.
Nothing could have prepared those young men for the horror that awaited them at Gallipoli, on the Somme and elsewhere.
That is why we mark Anzac Day - because they and all those affected gave and lost so much.
Children watching the ceremony and solemnity of Anzac commemorations are shielded from the horror of war.
They see the uniforms, the aircraft flying over, the flowers.
They feel the undoubted respect for the fallen and the emotion of the marchers'.
They see the people lining the streets in honour.
We must teach them to honour the sacrifices made, without also honouring what is often fruitless war.
As one Vietnam veteran said yesterday, most young people would willingly stand up to defend Australia if invaded - and they would be right to do so.
Yet so many of the conflicts Australia has been engaged in have taken place far from home and the cause has been less than clear.
We must not shield children from this sad truth.