Ben Roberts-Smith shares defiant message as he takes selfies with Gold Coast supporters
Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has been swarmed by supporters at an Anzac Day dawn service in Queensland this morning.
Australia’s most decorated soldier, 47, was pictured on Currumbin Beach, on the Gold Coast, his medals of service pinned to his suit jacket.
He shared a defiant message with the media following the emotional service.
‘I’ve never thought about not coming, I was always going to be here,’ the former SAS soldier told the ABC.
Photos show a beaming Roberts-Smith chatting with veterans, shaking the hand of a naval officer, and smiling for selfies with supporters.
He attended the service with his partner, Sarah Matulin, and his parents.
Ms Matulin appeared to be moved by the early-morning ceremony and was seen blowing her nose, as thousands turned out to pay their respects.
Roberts-Smith said he was thinking about the families of service members and the ultimate sacrifice many have made in defence of the nation.
He said the country owed them a ‘deep debt’.
‘Everyone should be reflecting and commemorating the service of all of those Australians that have given us the country that we live in,’ he said.
The decorated former soldier said the support from Aussies had been ‘overwhelming’ after he was charged with five counts of war crime murder, allegedly committed during his service with the SAS in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.
He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
‘Today is bigger than me,’ he said. ‘This is a day… about remembering every single person that has given us the country that we live in.’
