Throughout their history, the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have had a role to assist our own communities, and those of our neighbours, in times of natural disasters.

During the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918-19 the Pacific nations of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa were very badly afflicted.

In late 1919, in the Royal Australian Navy's first overseas humanitarian operation, HMAS Encounter, provided medical and burial support to the overstretched health services of these countries.

When asked by their captain to volunteer to go ashore in Samoa to assist, with the certain prospect of being left ashore while the Encounter steamed to other ports, all the officers and the vast majority of the sailors stepped forward.

HMAS Choules arrived at Hastings Port with over 1025 evacuees from Mallacoota following bushfires in January this year. ( News Corp/AAP: Ian Currie )

One hundred years on, in the same spirit and in an extraordinary scene for Australians today, HMAS Choules participated in the evacuation of people from the beach at Mallacoota during the recent bushfire season.

Both these incidents were marked by a quickness to respond and a willingness to accept personal risk. These are characteristics of our defence force and its people that have been built over 100 years of service to our nation.

They have their roots in the legacy of Gallipoli and the Western Front and have sustained servicemen and women over decades of service.

These characteristics are part of what we gather to acknowledge on Anzac Day.

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 25 April, 1915. The Divisional Headquarters Staff wading ashore at Anzac Cove. ( Supplied: AWM )

In 2020, a very different commemoration

I attended my first Dawn Service as a young cadet at Duntroon. ( Supplied )

This Anzac Day will be different to any in recent memory.

I recall that in 1972, as a cadet in my first year at Duntroon, I attended my first dawn service at the Australian War Memorial.

The attendance was small, the lack of public support reflecting, in part, opposition to the war in Vietnam, and all who attended fitted into the Commemorative Area and the surrounding cloisters of the Roll of Honour.

This year we will recreate that scene as we are compelled to assemble in small numbers.

But this time we will know that in thousands of homes around Australia, families will be gathering in support.

Hopefully, after watching the national service, many Australians will gather in their driveways and on their balconies to support initiatives such as the RSL's campaign, Light Up the Dawn.

Importantly, this revised format provides an opportunity for all of us to reflect with others in our lives.

I encourage all Australians to take the time to discuss why Anzac Day has become so important to them and why the legacy of the first Anzacs has had such a profound effect on our national character and outlook.

The Anzac spirit takes many forms

It will also be an opportunity to revisit the service of past family members, especially those of the First World War, which many Australians discovered through research during the recent Centenary of Service commemorative period.

If a legacy is to have any value, it must shape the way we think and behave.

Anzac Day commemorations are always held on April 25, in memory of the landing at Gallipoli. ( ABC News: Gregor Salmon )

For me, the Anzac legacy says that we are a people who, in adverse situations, are strong, look out for each other and are prepared to put others before ourselves.

These characteristics were evident during this year's bushfire season and must help define the way we approach our responses to the coronavirus pandemic.

Like our current and past defence members, they can sustain us during a difficult period in our lives.

A gathering in spirit can be just as powerful as a physical gathering this Anzac Day. And on Anzac Day we remember for a reason.

We are proud of our Anzac forebears. Let us make them proud of us.

I look forward to hearing many stories of how families observed the day and how reflecting on our past will help us today.

Lest We Forget.

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) is the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.