At first light on Anzac Day, as silence settled across the Australian War Memorial, Flying Officer Kbora Ali stepped forward to deliver the commemorative address.

For a moment so steeped in history, the address is often delivered by senior leaders. This year, it was someone earlier in her career, but no less shaped by what the moment represents.

“It doesn’t matter your rank, it’s the impact you have,” Flying Officer Ali said.

The Anzac spirit is often spoken about in the language of battle, but its essence is simpler and more human: the willingness to step forward despite fear, for the sake of others.

Flying Officer Ali embodies this spirit. On Anzac Day, she addressed the nation and honoured the sacrifices of those who came before her. 

As a former immigrant and refugee, her journey to this moment has not been without sacrifice. She and her family left their home and separated from loved ones – a decision shaped by courage and hope for a better future. 

More than a century earlier, young Australians made a similar decision with the same hope. 

Nineteen years after arriving in Australia, and 111 years after the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli, Flying Officer Ali now carries the Anzac legacy in her own way.

'Through our servicemen and women, we sacrifice a lot for other families so they don’t have to experience separation and suffering like my family did when we separated because of war.'

She stood at the War Memorial not only as a member of the Australian Defence Force, but also as its first female Afghan.

“It is a huge honour to represent generations of servicemen and women,” Flying Officer Ali said.

"It is the first time my family is seeing someone in uniform, and being in a space where they never thought possible for their daughters or sons. That gives me the courage to push through the tough times.”

For Flying Officer Ali, service is not separate from her past, but shaped by it.

“Through our servicemen and women, we sacrifice a lot for other families so they don’t have to experience separation and suffering like my family did when we separated because of war,” she said.

In that sense, her role in the ADF is more than a career. It is a way of honouring and carrying forward what was once sacrificed for her.

The Anzac spirit continues to live in the courageous decisions, both loud and quiet, made by personnel every day. 

Recently commissioned as a personnel capability officer, Flying Officer Ali knows those quieter forms of courage well.

“I’ve had my applications get rejected many times,” she said. 

“I just kept applying. Be persistent. Consistency does not betray you.”

As dawn broke and she prepared to speak, Flying Officer Ali stood at the intersection of two stories – one remembered in national ceremony, the other carried in family memory.

Both are defined by the same idea that the Anzac spirit is not reserved for extraordinary people, but revealed in the choices everyday people make.