'Among the first ashore, among the first to die': Queensland honours Anzacs
Armed with umbrellas and coffees, the people of Brisbane gathered at dawn under heavy clouds to remember the fallen.
Families, veterans and locals met in a darkened Anzac Square in the CBD to commemorate Anzac Day, with the solemn service beginning at 4.28am.
Among those were first-time attendees Finn McNeil, 9, and his brother Rhys, 7.
Their great great uncle, Patrick Joseph Delacour, went to France with the 41st Battalion in World War I at age 25.
He never returned.
Their parents Scott and Tracey said they thought it was important to teach the boys about the Anzac history.
"We wanted to show respect to the soldiers, the men and women, the nurses that served in World War I and World War II to keep us safe," Tracey said.
"And all the animals," Rhys added.
Governor Paul de Jersey reminded the crowd, which filled the nearby streets and overpasses, of those Queenslanders "who sacrificed their tomorrows for our today".
"This morning we remember the men of the Australian imperial force, crouched together in boats on the other side of the world, 103 years ago, awaiting their call to battle," he said.
"Among those men were many Queenslanders of the brave 9th Battalion, the first recruited in Queensland, among the first ashore that day, among the first to die."
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was also among the special guests to attend, laying a wreath at the Shrine of Remembrance.
AAP