Ahead of Anzac Day, 26-year-old veteran Nathaniel White reflects on his time in a peacetime army, and what Anzac means to those who have served.
Just a month ago, Nathaniel was a rifleman in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment.
Now an advocate for veterans' affairs, he still feels a strong sense of pride and connection to Anzac, and the legacy of its service men and women.
"I wanted to serve something that was greater than I am. Something that was bigger, that actually meant something," he said.
While Nathaniel was never deployed to a conflict, he still relished the camaraderie of his unit during his time in service.
"Before I joined, I was doing a lot of jobs where it was just a job ... Instead of existing day-to-day for myself, I had a chance to be a part of something," he said.
For Nathaniel, that "something" was the legacy built by the sacrifices of veterans who had come before him, and the strength of the many Australians still in service.
"What Anzac Day means to those that serve is very individual. You ask a dozen different vets, you're going to get a dozen different answers," he said.
"The only real way to have that understanding is actually talk to them.
While he looked back fondly on his time in service, he acknowledged the sacrifices made by those in the army.
Nathaniel's desire to settle down with his fiancee prompted him to bring the chapter of his life as a rifleman to a close.
"It was sort of a realisation that it was my time to get out," he said.
"To serve, you sacrifice a lot. But it's much more the people around you that sacrifice more."
Nathaniel now spends his time listening to the stories of other veterans, and advocating for them as a member of WA's Returned and Services League (RSLWA).
"I'm getting to talk to people who were in Vietnam, who went into these horrible situations, guys from ships, all the way through to the more recent veterans like myself," he said.
"You get a chance to sit down and talk to the older guys from the unit. The guys who went before."
He hopes others will do the same on Anzac Day, and take the time to listen.
"It's really a day where, I guess, the walls are broken down," he said.
Scaled-back Anzac Day services to go ahead
WA's largest Anzac Day dawn service at Kings Park is set to return after two years of cancellations due to COVID, but will have restrictions in place.
In a bid to avoid spreading COVID among vulnerable veterans, RSLWA has decided to host the State War Memorial Dawn Service as an invite-only event.
West Australians have been encouraged to commemorate on their driveways as they have over the past two years.
A Gunfire Breakfast will be open to everyone at the Government House Gardens with a two-square metre rule and vaccination requirement in place.
And the Anzac Day Parade will also make a return at 9am, with vintage vehicles and military jeeps processing through Perth CBD.
Official commemorations will finish off with a service at the Perth Concert Hall, which will be a free ticketed event.
Dozens of communities are also set to hold their own dawn services across the state.
