Applause rang out as veterans marched through the centre of the city mid-morning to the cenotaph in Victoria Park.

Generations of residents gathered there on the 100th anniversary of the first Anzac Day after the armistice that brought World War I to an end.

Captain Anthony Klenthis of the Royal Australian Navy returned to his home town to deliver the address.

He said they congregated to "pause and remember those who have served our country in war and in peace and to reflect on their sacrifice.

"One hundred years ago, the Anzac Day of 1919 would have been very different from the three Anzac Days that preceded it, although most of our soldiers and sailors were still awaiting transport to return back home to Australia," he said.

"By April 1919, the Armistice had been signed, peace had come at last and the killing and misery was at an end.

"Australia would have taken pride in what its soldiers had achieved, and the contribution they had made to the efforts of our allies.

"However, there would also be an immense sense of grief for those who would never be coming home, and the emotional battles that lay ahead for our returning soldiers and their families."

Captain Klenthis's career began in 1987 and on Australia Day he received the Conspicuous Service Cross for his work in the RAN, including deployment to places like Afghanistan, on Australia Day.

This year was an opportunity to consider the broader purpose of Anzac Day, he said.

"Today, over 100 years after the First World War, we cannot fully appreciate the relief and grief our ancestors felt," he said.

"But we can take pride in the contribution of our defence force and what it continues to do on the world stage.

"We show our gratitude for the sacrifices of our first Anzacs and for the sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen who have continued to uphold the Anzac tradition."