These days young people are coming to Anzac Day marches in increasing numbers to not just reflect on the cost of war, but also learn about our nation’s history.

Candelo’s Phil Collins who has been going to the riverside town’s Anzac Day parades since the 1940s said in the last five years has seen a marked increase in involvement in the day by younger people.

He called it a “resurgence of Australian spirit” in the build up to the 100 year anniversary of Gallipoli last year.

“I feel this is happening all around the country, you see the children involved everywhere,” he said this week.

“The kids then get parents and brothers and sisters involved.”

The 83-year-old said attendance numbers did “drop off a bit” for a time that included the Vietnam War, a period of great public exposure to the inner workings of war.

University of South Australia’s Dr Paul Skrebels puts the resurgence down to the nationalistic drive of recent governments to create a sense of national identity through the day. 

So how can this increased interest in history expressed by younger generations be harnessed to create a better future?

Many people are beginning to believe high school students should be taught more about the conflicts that made Australia what it is today.

“They should be taught the truth of what happened,” Bega’s David Dixon said.

Mr Dixon’s relatives fought in the Great War as well as many frontier battles.

He has marched in the last two Frontier Wars Commemoration Walks in Canberra on Anzac Day and has seen a growing interest in and public acknowledgment of the victims of the frontier wars.

“Most people I saw were very supportive of it and even some of the Diggers came up to congratulate us,” he said.

The walk was originally taken to the war memorial in 2012, but was shortened in 2015, preventing most of the crowd from witnessing it.

While last year marked 100 years since Gallipoli for Australians, Sunday marked 200 years since the tragic Appin massacre.

“The true history has the potential to change the political landscape of the country. People just want the truth told so they can heal,” Mr Dixon said.