Rememberance Day. A time of reflection on those who sacrificed themselves for our country, Australia. In considering the value of Rememberance Day, we need also to consider the value of one of the most prominent Remeberance Day speeches - Paul Keatings' `Funeral Service of the Unknown Soldier' (1993), and its relation to contemporary Australian society.

Are the ideas and values expressed within this speech still relevant in contemporary society"

The speech made by Keating at a Canberra Rememberance Day Service in 1993 was in the form of a eulogy. However, the eulogy was not only aimed towards the Unknown Soldier, but also the hundreds of thousands of Australian's that have sacrificed themselves at war.

Keating put his main emphasis on the struggle of people to become unified and work as one. That the value of unity is that it leads towards honor and a betterment of future - that it is something that we all must strive for. Unity and Australian identity is something that all members of war have striven to achieve.

Australian identity, unity and war were issues that affected those hundreds of years ago, they affected us eleven years ago at the time of Keating's speech, and they affect us now.

Within society today we are still fighting wars, we are still fighting battles, we are still striving to achieve unity. In his speech Keating stated that "It is not too much to hope therefore, that this Unknown Australian Soldier might continue to serve his country - he might enshrine a nation's love of peace and remind us that in the sacrifice of men and women ... there is faith enough for all of us." Keating put forward the morals and values of unity and peace, that were relevant to society eleven years ago. These morals and values are still relevant within society today.

Today should be a day that we rekindle those values and goals- the values and goals symbolized by the Unknown Soldier. We can come together in support of our country. We need to strive to achieve unity amongst ourselves. We must unite. We must stand by each other and continues to enforce the ideal that Keating presented eleven years ago - the same ideal that thousands of Australian's fought to achieve.