The services were held at the cenotaph in Kingsway, Glen Waverley, for the second time after being moved from the Waverley RSL branch last year.

Speaking at the service, Reverend Grant Bullen of St Stephens and St Marys Anglican Church said Anzac Day was a time to remember those who offered their lives in the service of the whole country. A recent surge of support at dawn services across the country was because of a "desperate need" to reconnect with the sacrifices of brave men and women who had served, he said.

"We know we need to remember these people as a nation.

"There are times when it's not about me, about us. They sacrificed their comfort, prosperity, security, even life itself, for the greater good."