Day 10: The Way Continues
Day 10 felt different from the start.
There was a real sense of anticipation in the air. We were at HMAS Albatross, sharing breakfast in the mess, packing up rooms, tidying gear, and getting ready for the final part of the pilgrimage.
After all the walking, conversations, hills, sore bodies, laughs, prayers, quiet moments and hard reflections, this was the day we would walk to HMAS Creswell.
But it wasn’t just about reaching the end.
It was about returning, taking the next step, and recognising that The Way continues.
Walking with the Next Generation
Before heading to the beach, the group met with a number of young Midshipmen from HMAS Creswell. Mike Oborn had helped organise the meeting through their instructors, and it was a real gift to have them join the final walk.
There was something powerful about seeing younger and older people walking together.
Veterans, serving members, chaplains, senior leaders, pilgrims, and Midshipmen — all moving along the same stretch of coastline together.
The photos from the day show it well. There was conversation. There was laughter. There was respect. And there was a genuine sense of fellowship across generations.
For some of the younger Midshipmen, this was a chance to hear from people who had served, led, suffered, learned, and kept walking. For the pilgrims, it was a chance to encourage those who are just beginning their own journey of service.
Remembering HMAS Westralia
Captain Mike Oborn spoke about HMAS Westralia and the cost of service.
On 5 May 1998, a catastrophic fire broke out in the engine room of HMAS Westralia off the coast of Western Australia. Four sailors died in the disaster.
The fire began when a flexible fuel hose failed, spraying diesel fuel onto hot machinery and creating a fireball in the engine room. Thick toxic smoke filled the space, and the crew had to respond under extreme pressure.
It was a sobering reminder that not every journey ends in return.
Service carries risk. Sacrifice is not just something from the distant past. It is part of our own national story, and it remains personal for those who serve, those who remember, and those who live with the cost.
Mike challenged the group to think about life as a pilgrimage. Each of us is changing and being changed along the way. And none of us is meant to do that journey alone.
We need someone beside us.
We need companions for the road.
Along the White Sands of Jervis Bay
After the devotion, the group set off along the path and then onto the beach, walking around the white shores of Jervis Bay toward HMAS Creswell.
It was a beautiful stretch of coastline to finish on.
But the best part was not just the scenery. It was watching people connect as they walked.
Pilgrims and Midshipmen moved in small groups. Conversations started naturally. Stories were shared. Some walked quietly. Others talked deeply. There was no pressure to perform. Just people walking side by side.
That has been one of the gifts of ANZAC Way.
You start walking with people you may not know well. By the end, you have shared enough steps, meals, prayers, jokes, aches, and stories that something changes.
You are no longer just travelling the same route.
You are carrying something together.
Arriving at HMAS Creswell
When the group arrived at HMAS Creswell, there was time for a wrap-up and photos. The Midshipmen then headed their way, with some given the opportunity to remain for the final chapel session.
Inside the chapel, Mike Oborn provided a closing reflection before inviting Bishop Grant Dibden to speak.
Bishop Grant shared from his own story — how he came to faith step by step. A friend invited him along to a youth group event. Then came another invitation. Then another moment. Bit by bit, he was drawn closer to understanding who Jesus is and what it meant to follow Him.
That was a fitting message for the final day.
Most journeys of faith do not happen all at once. They unfold through invitations, relationships, decisions, and steps of trust.
The ANZAC Way has been like that too.
One step.
One conversation.
One reflection.
One decision to keep moving.
What Is Your Purpose?
Bishop Grant asked a simple but searching question:
What is your purpose and meaning in life?
It is the sort of question many people avoid.
In military life, it can be easy to just get on with the job. You serve. You train. You deploy. You lead. You follow orders. You care for your mates. You raise a family. You build a career.
But eventually the deeper questions catch up with us.
What happens when the uniform comes off?
What happens when health changes?
What happens when family life breaks?
What happens when grief arrives?
What happens when the career no longer gives you identity?
What happens when you reach the end of yourself?
These are not easy questions.
But they are honest ones.
And ANZAC Way gives veterans and serving people a space to ask them properly — not in a rushed way, not in a clinical way, but while walking with others who understand that life can be hard, complicated, and still full of hope.
Returning and Next Steps
The theme for the final day was Returning and Next Steps — The Way Continues.
The Scripture for the day was Micah 6:8:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
That verse gives shape to the road ahead.
After a pilgrimage like this, the question is not simply, “What did we complete?”
The better question is, “How do we now live?”
For veterans, this matters.
Many who came on this pilgrimage carried things with them — post-traumatic stress, past hurts, grief, dislocation, loss, questions of purpose, and the weariness that can come from years of service and life experience.
But there was also a sense of hope.
Not a shallow hope. Not a quick fix. Not a magic wand.
A real hope.
The kind of hope that says: I do not have to stay stuck.
The kind of hope that says: I can take another step.
The kind of hope that says: I do not have to walk alone.
What Do You Want to See Made Right?
One of the key questions from the final reflections was:
What do you want to see made right?
Made right in yourself.
Made right in the world.
Made right in God’s future.
That is a big question.
For some, it may be about healing.
For others, forgiveness.
For others, purpose.
For others, relationships.
For others, coming to terms with what they have seen, done, lost, or carried.
The Christian hope is that God is not finished with this world, and He is not finished with us.
The promise of heaven is not just an escape from pain. It is the hope of a world made right — no more suffering, no more sin, no more brokenness.
And until that day, we keep walking.
By grace.
With Christ beside us.
And with others on the road.
A Veteran’s Reflection
A Veteran’s Reflection
As a veteran, I found this final day hard to put into words.
There was a lot to take in.
The walk. The people. The memories. The younger Midshipmen. The older veterans. The stories. The challenge. The faith. The hope. The sense that something had happened along the way that was deeper than simply walking from one place to another.
The ANZAC Way gives veterans a chance to stop and reflect.
It creates room to ask:
Do I stay where I am?
Do I keep carrying this alone?
Or do I take a step forward?
That does not mean everything is suddenly fixed.
But it does mean movement is possible.
And for many veterans, that matters.
Because health and wellbeing are not just physical. They are emotional, relational, mental, and spiritual. ANZAC Way gives people space to attend to all of that.
You walk a long way. You feel it in your body. But along the way, something else often starts to shift too.
You start to see yourself differently.
You start to see others differently.
And perhaps, by God’s grace, you start to see a way forward.
The Invitation
Next year, there will be another ANZAC Way pilgrimage.
People will see the photos. They will watch the videos. They will read the stories. Some will wonder whether this might be for them.
If you are a veteran and what you have seen or read has stirred something in you, take the next step.
You do not need to have everything sorted. You do not need to have all the answers. You do not need to pretend you are fine.
Just be willing to walk.
The people you meet may surprise you.
The conversations may stay with you.
The quiet moments may help you think.
The journey may show you something about yourself you have not seen before.
There are no tricks here.
Just walking.
Reflection.
Prayer.
Fellowship.
Honest conversation.
And the hope that God meets people on the road.
The pilgrimage may finish at HMAS Creswell.
But the Way continues.
Prayer
God of hope,
thank you for the promise of heaven —
a world made new,
where there is no more suffering,
no more sin,
and no more brokenness.
Lead us home by grace.
Walk with us on the road ahead.
And help us to act justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
Interested in Walking the ANZAC Way?
ANZAC Way is a veteran-focused pilgrimage of remembrance, connection, and hope.
If you are a veteran, serving member, chaplain, supporter, or someone who wants to understand more about the journey, we invite you to follow the story and make contact about future pilgrimages.
