Mr Shafer said he engaged in soul-searching after the trip, reconsidering the value of human life as both a father and a husband. This was a point he urged the men at the breakfast to consider.

Mr Shafer was one of the four teachers who escorted 20 students to the historic event in Turkey in April. The educator said it was difficult to verbalise the experience of standing on the picturesque Turkish coast which, 100 years ago, was churned to mud by the boots of soldiers and mortar shells.

“It was very beautiful and peaceful – to imagine the atrocities was difficult,” Mr Shafer said. “The blossoms were out, the birds were singing, the grass was green and the sun was on your back. 

“I needed to walk around the headstones to jolt me back into the reality.”

The almost mythic conflict continues to define the Australian psyche, constantly playing out in art, literature and film. The enduring and very real effects the battle had on the families of soldiers, however, stuck with Mr Shafer.

“These men left their families, some of them only children themselves,” Mr Shafer said.

“Their absence sometimes became permanent so I asked what effect does our own absence as fathers and husbands have, what effect does our presence have?”

Mr Shafer said he felt encouraged by the emotional impact his presentation had on the men. He said he felt obliged to share his experiences from ANZAC cove, which he cited as the highlight of his career as an educator.

“Our students went over with individual stories and that allowed them to present a tribute, a presentation in front of a headstone,” Mr Shafer said. 

“It wasn’t long until other Australians realised what we were doing and gathered round to hear the stories.

“It was an unanticipated event to see how the students led this crowd.”