When ANZAC Day dawns in Eldorado, the town will move together as it has done so for the past 15 years.

Before the sun rises, people gather at the pub and walk shoulder to shoulder down the road towards the memorial.

It is a ritual shaped by memory, community and care, and for one local veteran, it has always been deeply personal.

David Ellis, a Vietnam veteran now living in Wangaratta, has spent a lifetime serving both his country and his community.

This ANZAC Day, he will once again attend the Eldorado dawn service, an occasion he helped establish 15 years ago alongside fellow locals who believed remembrance belonged at the heart of their town.

The 81-year-old grew up in Colac before moving through parts of Gippsland, surrounded from an early age by stories of wartime service.

Military life ran through the family, with David's father and uncles serving in the Second World War and Korea, enlisting felt almost inevitable.

“Most kids did,” David said.

“You were going to join the army to do your bit, that’s what we used to call it.”

He joined the Australian Army in 1966, graduating as a soldier in 1967.

A year later he was deployed to Vietnam, where he served for 13 months on active duty.

Unlike his two brothers, who were conscripted through the National Service Scheme, David volunteered.

“My number didn’t come up,” he said.

Vietnam left a permanent mark, David speaks quietly and carefully about that time, but the memories remain close.

He lost two close friends during the war, one killed in a helicopter incident near Black Horse, north of Nui Dat, the other killed by mortar fire in the trenches.

“It’s something that comes back every year,” he said.

“You think about the ones you lost, and the ones who were there with you.

"The ones you knew, and the ones you didn’t.”

When he returned home, David stayed in the army, embarking on a long military career that would span more than three decades.

He later trained and served in the Special Air Service (SAS), spending eight to nine years with Australia’s elite unit.

His SAS service included deployments and training exercises throughout Australia, as well as in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

David remained in the Army until 1997, eventually discharging after more than 30 years of service.

But it is his contribution far from the battlefield that many in the Indigo Valley know best.

Fifteen years ago, David and fellow Eldorado locals Jeff Perry and Terry Christine began discussing ANZAC Day at the local pub.

At the time, Eldorado did not have its own community service, and many residents travelled elsewhere.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we have it here?’” David recalled.

What followed was the establishment of the Eldorado Community ANZAC Day Service, a dawn service designed to be local, inclusive and personal.

Schools, families, the CFA and junior fire brigade members became involved, children marched wearing their grandparents’ medals.

The whole town was invited to take part.

On that first year, organisers expected perhaps 10 people.

“We bought 10 sausages, 10 eggs,” David said.

Instead, more than 200 people turned up, volunteers scrambled to find more food, but more importantly, the service struck a powerful chord.

One moment from that first dawn service remains poignant for David, when an elderly woman approached the memorial and quietly placed her hand on her son’s name.

She didn't speak, she just stood and cried.

Later, her daughter came forward to thank the organisers.

“She said her mother had carried that sadness for years,” David said.

“This was the first time she’d really let it out, that’s when we knew we’d done something right.”

For David, that is the essence of ANZAC Day.

“To remember your parents, your relatives, anyone who gave their life for Australia,” he said.

“No one sees those quiet moments, but they matter.”

David is quick to acknowledge the families who serve alongside soldiers in their own way.

David's wife, Helen, who he describes as the most gorgeous woman, raised six children while he was away, and he says the toll of service continues long after uniforms are put away.

“Most veterans wouldn’t be the men they are without their families,” he said.

This ANZAC Day, the Eldorado Community Dawn Service will again bring together locals at first light, meeting at the McEvoy Tavern at 5:30am with a march through the town followed by a 6am service at the Eldorado Memorial Hall.

The tradition David helped start 15 years ago continues to grow, shaped by the same spirit of remembrance and community.

David will be there, supported by family and greeted by familiar faces.

Asked if he had a message for the community ahead of ANZAC Day, Ellis paused.

“I’m just thankful we can live in peace,” he said. “Australia is a wonderful place.”

When dawn breaks in Eldorado this Saturday, David Ellis will stand among neighbours and friends, not seeking recognition, but quietly honouring those who did not return, and ensuring they are never forgotten.