The Anzac links between Australia and Papua New Guinea have been allowed to diminish

All I can find is a release from the Australian High Commission outlining a series of Dawn Services held across Papua New Guinea - generally at 5am.

While this is welcome - and I am told that at sveral locations the number of young Papua New Guineans who attended was a surprise.

But that was it - no marches through the major centres at a more agreeable hour - such as 10 am; no education and public information campaigns.

What this reflects is a simple but sad reality - the momentum from 1992 has eroded massively. A great opportunity to build people-to-people links has been lost.

Sadly, the prospect of any future re-vitalisation of the people-to-people links based on shared wartime experiences, and sacrifices, is just about zero.

I am told that most young Papua New Guineans have no knowledge of the meaning of Anzac Day and its relevance to the Papua New Guinea-Australia relationship.

Since 1992 Papua New Guinea has established its own Remembrance Day (a public holiday) which inevitably diminishes the significance of Anzac Day. That is PNG's right of course, as it has post World War Two events and sacrifices that are rightly remembered.

It's a great pity that another historic Anzac Day has passed without the opportunity being taken to use the historic links to strengthen our people-to-people links...and our shared history.

Is it any wonder that our relevance and influence in our region is as weak as it is today?