The education of our young in regard to our servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives has increased significantly over the last twenty years thanks to events like the ANZAC Day clash at the MCG.

In the twenty years prior to this, coinciding with the end of the Vietnam War, our veterans were a forgotten, cynical bunch whose presence at ANZAC parades was fading.

The Vietnam Vets in particular were treated poorly by the general public and government upon their return to Australia.

It wasn’t our war to fight and many of these guys were conscripted unlike the naïve diggers of WW1 and WW2 who volunteered. They were shamed when they needed acknowledgement and help.

I joined the army almost by accident in 1980. My bosses were all Vietnam and Korean Veterans. They were firm but led by example. It was the way it was. If you didn’t walk the walk, you were quickly exposed and held accountable.

For some, the wars were too much and the army was a safe haven for life where they were given appropriate tasks to help the team. There was no formal psychological support available.

I was never a natural soldier. I worked on aircraft two hours from Brisbane and couldn’t wait to end the week to drive to Brisbane for footy training and a Sunday game, whilst my peers were knocking up home extensions and restoring cars!

When I was eighteen I was expected to do a very military thing. Go to Sydney for two weeks and do the Vic Barracks Guard. This entailed staying in Paddington standing guard out the front and completing two lunchtime ceremonies at the Cenotaph in Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD.

Martin Place at lunchtime is packed. I think there were six of us from around the country all done up in formal uniform shining like mirror balls.

We then went through the full ANZAC Observance Ceremony. The crowd was expected to be behind a white line on the pavement but a small child had snuck forward almost under my nose looking up at me.

At this stage I had my head down and an SLR rifle bayonet resting on the toe of my boot. Knowing that my next move on command was to flick the 8kg rifle up, reverse it and tuck it back to my shoulder, I was concerned I would connect with the kid.

I started whispering “piss off”, “get back” but to no avail. Suddenly the command, “shoulder arms!” came and I avoided decapitating the child by a couple of inches.

For decades I’ve tended to push these memories away because I was a bit embarrassed by them. The army training, especially at Kapooka embedded the values, behaviours and proud history of Australia’s military but I never felt like I was brainwashed.

Recently I was driving to friends in Newcastle and decided to stop in Canberra and visit the War Memorial to pay my respects.

I had just read the terrific biography of Neil Davis, the legendary Vietnam photo-journalist and was keen to see his tribute. Afterwards I stayed for the Last Post or ANZAC Observance Ceremony.

It was exactly like I had performed forty-odd years ago albeit with smaller weapons. It is performed most nights around the Pool of Remembrance and is dedicated to one fallen serviceman or servicewoman each night.

The photo of the fallen soldier is on an easel and members of that person’s family are invited to lay a wreath.

Accompanying the wreath laying is a bagpiper. I was OK to that point but I was suddenly overwhelmed by the emotion at the time that I started sobbing. I’m not a cryer so I can only put it down to old age and a sense of pride that I had served six years in the forces. Maybe a St Kilda premiership will be the next time.

I’ve been asked by friends and family for my thoughts on ANZAC Day. I personally don’t get involved in the day, preferring to pay my respects quietly.

It is a day of mourning for ex-servicemen and women and I definitely struggle watching the Observance Ceremony on the MCG.

I understand the curiosity of what’s occurring and the silence of 100,000 people etc but the thought of the AFL Executive with their noses in the trough behind the glass makes me uncomfortable.

Then there’s the jingoism and condescendence from commentators who suddenly become qualified war historians and go on and on about “how lucky we are for their sacrifice.”

So my question to Australians in regard to how lucky we are is:

“Just over 100,000 Australians were killed in all wars. What do you think they would say about our society today, the society they sacrificed their lives for?”

I reckon they’d be pretty disappointed don’t you?

We are world leaders in domestic violence, alcohol consumption and gambling addiction. We are almost on par with the US as the most obese country in the world.

We have been unable to truly acknowledge and reconcile with our First Nations People despite the fact that they put their hands up as Australians to fight in all the conflicts.

We are a country that has incredible resources and wealth but we have so called political leaders who don’t possess vision and leadership to produce world’s best practice in areas such as the environment. It’s all short term self-interest.

Our juvenile crime is reaching ridiculous proportions as are the nature of the crimes. Incarcerating kids doesn’t work and neither does giving them bail.

Lynda and I just returned from hiking in World Heritage Wilderness in Tassie. I couldn’t help but think that this was the environment to take juveniles for a couple of months. If one of our many billionaires wanted to leave a legacy for our future, they could fund a camp for kids and teach them bush skills, put them to work, provide decent nutrition, remove social media and employ professionals to manage the place for better outcomes.

So if you are genuinely moved by our fore-fathers sacrifice, rather than seeing ANZAC day as an event, like a Taylor Swift concert, see April 26th as a day to ask yourself “what will be my legacy?”

How can I make a difference in my community? What can I do differently in my life in order to help others? How can I make sure I do everything with integrity? Why am I sweating the small stuff?

Don’t leave the passion behind on April 25th. April 26th and beyond are about walking the walk and make our fallen proud.