The year 2015 is a momentous one for remembering Australia's military history. Few Australian citizens would be unaware of the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. This milestone represents one of the most significant commemorations to take place in Australia's history. One of the reasons that this anniversary is so significant is that it honours the experience of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed at Gallipoli over 100 years ago. The Anzac Centenary is a time to ‘reflect upon the service and sacrifice of all those who have worn our nation's uniform – past and present’, and as Chairman of the Anzac Centenary Advisory Board I am committed to ensuring all Australians gain an understanding of ‘our military history and its enduring impacts on the Australia of today’.

Besides the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli, another significant day of remembrance for Australia in 2015 is 15 August. On this date we will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day. This date honours Japan's acceptance of the Allied demand for unconditional surrender, and for our country it meant that the Second World War was finally over. It was a day when the Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, noted that Australians should ‘remember those whose lives were given [so] that we may enjoy this glorious moment and may look forward to a peace which they have won for us’. The announcement was met with scenes of jubilation, and crowds of Australians spontaneously gathered in cities and towns to celebrate.

The Second World War would have a lasting effect on generations of people around the globe. I was born in the immediate aftermath of the war in Scotland and grew up as part of the generation that lived with its legacy and with immediate family who were directly affected by the experience of war. My family, like so many across the Commonwealth and around the globe, had its members serving in the various theatres of the war.