More than 700 people were shoulder to shoulder as they surrounded the Katherine cenotaph for the dawn service, at which RAAF Base Tindal Senior Australian Defence Force Officer Wing Commander Andrew Tatnell shared the stories of “real people with real lives, forever changed by conflict” and the selfless defence of their country.

Once the sun had risen above the town’s tribute to those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice, a pair of F/A-18 Classic Hornets from No. 75 Squadron roared over Katherine Terrace to signal the start of the street parade back to where the day had begun hours before.

Northern Territory Administrator John Hardy – who delivered a stirring address at the morning service – and his wife, Marie, were special guests for the commemoration and met former and serving military personnel at the Katherine RSL’s traditional gunfire breakfast.

In a powerful demonstration the Anzac spirit is in good hands, children played active roles in both the dawn and morning services.

Following the 6am service, brothers Charlie and Blake Cook went quiet as they inspected the wreaths that added a burst of colour to the cenotaph with childlike innocence and curiosity.

As the five-year-old and three-year-old discovered what Anzac Day was about, men who knew all-too-well what it stood for shared laughs and a few beers at the Katherine RSL.

Diggers Francis Hayes and Mick Markham have been friends since they discovered they were on the same flight to fight for their country.

“I flew out on October 3, 1967, and saw him on the plane,” Mr Hayes explained.

“We were on the same plane and we’ve been mates since.”

The pair caught up with fellow digger Ali Muir and spent the afternoon reflecting on an unbreakable bond that has spanned more than four decades.

Check out our Anzac Day gallery here.