ANZAC Day is a time to commemorate and honour members of the community who have served or currently serve our country. Aoife Moynihan talks to an Australian Defence Force veteran and a Royal Australian Navy Commander about what is means to serve their country.
Royal Australian Navy Commander Ian Walker
Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Commander Ian Walker joined HMAS Penguin in Balmoral in December 2025. It is the home of the Australian Defence Force Diving School (ADFDS), the RAN Hydrographic School and the RAN Medical School. He says he will most likely be marching in the city on ANZAC Day.
“ANZAC Day is our day to reflect on the service of those who came before us, the people who’ve bled for our country, the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” says Cmdr Walker. “But it’s also for thinking about the people currently serving and about the people who have served who are not doing so well, and what we’re doing to support them, because they are often the ones that are forgotten and to me, they always come front of mind.”
Ceremonial Mast Colours Ceremony, HMAS Penguin in 2007, Cmdr Walker (lieutenant at the time) on the left
Cmdr Walker recently celebrated 20 years of service in the RAN. He grew up in Balmain, with a father and uncle who had served before him. His brother is also in the Navy.
“My father was an avid army reservist, and my uncle was a conscript in the Vietnam War,” recalls Cmdr Walker. “We grew up with a sense of how important the military was for our country and how a life of service was something to aspire to.”
Cmdr Walker attempted to join the Navy after school, but a knee reconstruction precluded him from joining. Restrictions changed over time, and he was accepted in 2006 aged 30 after working as a primary school teacher.
Serving with the RAN usually means moving around a lot. His first position was as an ADFDS training officer at HMAS Penguin and from there Cmdr Walker held positions in Canberra, Darwin, the Royal Australian Naval College, and HMAS Watson, in roles such as officer in charge of the ADF Training Systems School (training the training officers), head of training, and support and governance.
Cmdr Walker is proud of his time on HMAS Kanimbla as a helicopter control officer (HCO), which he says is essentially an air traffic controller for the ship.
“The volume of deck movements (landing, taking off) that we did as HCOs was (about) 100 over a two-year period,” explains Cmdr Walker. “We think about that as an everyday occurrence, but it’s a significant thing that you’re doing. If anything goes wrong, you end up with crushed helicopters.”
Cmdr Walker (lieutenant then) worked as a helicopter control officer on HMAS Kanimbla
Cmdr Walker is honoured to be back at HMAS Penguin as commanding officer.
“It’s amazing to be back on the base and to be living here again in this lovely location,” he says. “My role is support and development of our people and ensuring that our facilities are maintained to a standard where we can safely and sustainably deliver the capability that HMAS Penguin exists for,” he explains.
“And to ensure that we’re connected with the local community so that we can get our job done in a way that’s effective for everyone.”
Cmdr Walker’s wife Sarah also serves in the RAN as head of people capability for the director of navy health in Canberra and looks after the couple’s children. Cmdr Walker joins them on weekends.
“She has the big job of course,” says Cmdr Walker. “I get to swan around here as the high-flying commanding officer of HMAS Penguin and don’t have to do anything out of hours to support my family until the weekend.
“But during the week she has the lion’s share of the role raising our children and working as a full-time commander.
“I’m very, very lucky that Sarah is my rock in terms of me being able to come away and do this very important job that I have to do as commanding officer.”
Veteran John Balfour
At almost 80 years old, veteran and Belrose resident John Balfour has tremendous energy and passion for preserving the memories of those who have served in the Australian Defence Forces. John was in the army reserves for 46 years and runs the Australia My Country art, poetry and writing competition for primary students in the Forest area. He also leads the Remembrance Day Education Grant Program where Year Six students write an essay on a family member who served in the defence forces to win $2,000 to help them with their transition to high school.
John was presented the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2013 by the former NSW Governor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir. I speak with John on the day of her funeral (5 February) and he recalls an encounter with Dame Bashir about 20 years ago at the ANZAC Day March in Sydney, where John has served as a marshall for 56 years.
“I had the honour of catching her near the cenotaph on Pitt Street when she tripped over the council barricade,” John says. “She had her three aides de comp behind and all the ceremonial people, and I said, ‘Stop, stop, stop!’ I picked her up and I picked up her shoe. She put it back on and kept marching, as she was the leader all on her own. She didn’t know how to march, so I had to teach her. I was walking backwards at the time and that’s when she fell.”
John was awarded Northern Beaches Senior Citizen of the Year 2026
John leads the ANZAC Sunday march in Forestville each year
He was a guide for the North Fort Tunnels and the Australian Memorial Walk in North Head for many years. He now manages the memorial pavers.
“I advise people what to say on their pavers,” explains John. “I receive them from Melbourne at my home, sort them out and I go down with two guys and we lay them all three times a year.” He also looks after the pavers at Forestville RSL Club cenotaph. John received a Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) in 2022. An MSM is the highest individual award any veteran can receive for a minimum of 50 years outstanding service to RSL Australia. Bob Lunnon, president of the Forestville RSL Sub-Branch said not many veterans receive an MSM. “We’re very proud of John,” he says. Just recently, John was awarded the title of Northern Beaches Council Senior Citizen of the Year 2026.
On ANZAC Sunday, 19 April, you’ll find John leading the march in Forestville at 2.40pm, coordinating over 200 people at the starting point at Forestville Memorial Hall.
“They all line up: the cadets, Air Force, Army, RFS, the sub-branch members, veterans, school kids, guides, scouts, and the police,” John says. “We usually have about three police cars and the Manly Warringah Pipe Band.” As commander of the March, John works with the police to stop the traffic.
“I march out on the road and tell the police to stop the traffic and then I say, ‘Quick march everyone,’ and we walk about four blocks with a police escort.” The march ends at the cenotaph at Forestville RSL with a memorial service.
John has a full diary, but he likes it that way.
“My sister and son both told me I’m getting a little old and I should be slowing down,” says John. “But I’m too busy so I’ll think about that later. Otherwise, I’ll just sit at home and vegetate.”
ANZAC Sunday 19 April ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April
For details of commemorations, ceremonies, and events, visit rslnsw.org.au, awm.gov.au and local council websites
