There is no star of the show on Remembrance Day. Of course there isn't. It is a day to reflect on those who died in the service of Australia, particularly those who died in the mud and blood of Flanders between 1914 and 1918. It is a day to remember.
But if there was one man who inspired pride among the 1,500 people at the annual ceremony at the Australian War Memorial, it was Matthew Joseph - Leading Seaman Joseph to give him his full title.
He played the didgeridoo at the ceremony, and the instrument's mellow, sombre tone permeated the silence to give the remembrance a heart-stopping resonance.
He was born and raised in Canberra and learnt the instrument from his father. The wood came from the lands of his ancestors, and he had crafted it into an object of great beauty that emitted a sound of great beauty.
His father was sitting in the rows of white seats some fifty metres from where his son was playing - and you could almost feel the pride.
"I couldn't feel more proud. He's up there representing his family and his country," the father Greg Joseph said. "He's a great didgeridoo player - a great artist."
His grandmother Meg Huddleston was also there. "I was just so moved," she said.
Leading Seaman Joseph was calm in front of a sea of dignitaries, from the Governor-General to MPs and Senators to ambassadors to military top brass, plus a nation of viewers on TV.
"At the beginning of the day, I was nervous," the didgeridoo player said, "but as soon as I got up there, the nerves went away. They just flew away."
His rendition set the tone for the annual ceremony of remembrance leading to the minute's silence at 11 o'clock (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time on which the guns fell silent in 1918 in "the war to end all wars".)
This year's Commemorative Address was given by businessman Kerry Stokes who announced in April that he was relinquishing the role of chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial.
"We reflect on this day when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front in 1918," he said.
"Immersed in the spirit of those who have given their all, we pay tribute and ponder what we have been given.
"We remember those who have given us what we have and made us who we are."
In his address, he dwelt on the need for service and community, and extended the concepts beyond the armed forces: "We need to come together as Australians. What we need most is one-another."
Wreaths were laid by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in the absence of the prime minister, Barnaby Joyce (representing the leader of the opposition), and by the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Representatives of the judiciary and the military followed. Diplomats had laid wreathes on Wednesday.
The War Memorial reckoned that 1,500 people attended. The ceremonies were in the garden to the side of the main building because of the construction on other sides. It was, though, the first Remembrance Day which wasn't dominated by COVID precautions.
The director of the Australian War Memorial Matt Anderson said: "It was lovely to welcome people back to the Memorial without COVID restrictions to commemorate and remember."
