Thousands of kilometres were travelled by the descendants of two Arrawatta brothers, many coming together for the first time, to remember their Gallipoli service in the presence of the cenotaph hosting their names.
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At the rising of the sun over Inverell and as the Last Post echoed out across the pool grounds, tears of emotion formed and spilled from Malcolm Huxter's eyes.
"It's in my genes, that memory, whenever I hear 'Gallipoli', I almost feel traumatised," he explained.
"It's like inheriting the anxieties from the past, from our ancestry, and it feels like something is triggered every time I hear it."
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The Lismore man joined Toowoomba's Christine Mackenzie and Newcastle's Jarrod Skaines, three members of many from the Lyall family tree paying a visit to Inverell especially for the dawn service - a reunion three years in the making.
Two names brought them all together: William Lyall and John Lyall, brothers in blood and in arms, their names proudly marked.
I see in my mind those boys running up that hill in Gallipoli. I always do.
- Christine Mackenzie
"To see their names marked, my heart just swells, and that's when it sinks in," Mr Skaines said.
It was the first dawn service Mr Huxter had been to since he was 10, nearly 55 years, and the first he'd been to in Inverell.
It was also the first time Mr Skaines and Mr Huxter had met, brought together by Ms Mackenzie, who tracked down many of the Lyall brothers' family.
Ms Mackenzie has been tracing her family tree "for almost 30 years", with the last 10 getting serious about it.
"We've always known, always knew that we had these uncles from Inverell, and that William had died at Gallipoli at just 18," she said.
The brothers moved to Arrawatta in 1912 from Scotland. They enlisted in 1915, and never returned home together.
Their descendants, standing next to Inverell's Cenotaph, relive their experience in Gallipoli all those years ago.
"Every time I come to tears about this. My grandfather and his brother went to war, and when they were going up the Gallipoli hills, my great uncle was shot and all my grandfather could bring back was his watch," Mr Huxter said.
"That's the story, mum said he was machine gunned, and all my grandfather could bring back was the watch."
"I see in my mind those boys running up that hill in Gallipoli. I always do. Every dawn service," Ms Mackenzie added.
That's the story, mum said he was machine gunned, and all my grandfather could bring back was the watch.
- Malcolm Huxter
She's been tracking down the brother's family members and "rounding them all up" for the last few years, organising a meet around this Anzac Day.
"It was going to happen last year but then COVID stopped that," she said.
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