General News
11 May, 2026
Moving ANZAC moments
A CAIRNS RSL sub branch veteran has been deeply moved during a trip to Gallipoli as part of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs delivery team for ANZAC Day 2026.
Nathan Shingles travelled to the Gallipoli Peninsula as a beach cemetery assistant, supporting commemorations and assisting visitors during the annual services.
Mr Shingles said the role involved coordinating movements and helping deliver services, but it quickly became a deeply personal experience.
“That was, in part, because of my own family connection,” he said.
“My great uncle, Robert Edwin John Smith, was killed in action in August 1915 at Pope’s Hill. He was just 22.”
Mr Shingles said standing on the same ground as his relative “shifted something in me”, bringing history closer to the present.
During the commemorations, he worked alongside Department of Veterans’ Affairs team leader Tom Yans, who has 40 years of service.
The commemorations were also supported by local visitor services staff, including university students assisting with translation, as well as the Turkish Gendarmerie.
Mr Shingles said the presence of these groups contributed to the smooth running of the services and added historical context to the experience.
As part of rehearsals, Mr Shingles took on an unexpected role, stepping in to act as the chief of the Australian Defence Force during practice runs at Lone Pine Cemetery and Anzac Cove.
He described the ANZAC Day Dawn Service as a defining moment.
“The stillness before first light. The quiet anticipation among thousands. And then the gradual rise of dawn over the peninsula,” he said.
Mr Shingles said the experience reinforced a sense of connection between past and present and highlighted the importance of remembrance.
