Whatever else she does in her Army career, Corporal Carrisa Carter doesn’t imagine anything will top commanding Australia’s Federation Guard (AFG) catafalque party at this year’s Anzac Day Lone Pine Service in Gallipoli.
Corporal Carter is in her second year as an AFG guard member and has previously paraded in London for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and taken part in the Kokoda 80th anniversary in Papua New Guinea.
However, she said the opportunity to command the catafalque party on Anzac Day in Türkiye was something “beyond special”.
“It’s an absolute honour and I didn’t think that at any stage of my career I’d be in Türkiye as part of the Anzac Day ceremony and commanding the catafalque party,” she said.
“I’ve had some really important opportunities with the Federation Guard but to stand where the Anzacs arrived in Gallipoli is just so special and particularly to do it in uniform.”
As the catafalque party commander, Corporal Carter was responsible for marching the four-member armed guard on and off the catafalque in what is a key part of the Lone Pine service.
During rehearsals on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the contingent was taken to key battle sites to learn more about the 1915 campaign.
Corporal Carter said the stories of the original Anzacs inspired the guard members to honour that history.
“We all had high expectations for our performance so that we could honour those soldiers and the sacrifices they made,” she said.
