One by one, the poppies were removed, placed gently to the side, a growing bouquet of respect and reverence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The crimson petals are always stark against the marble that entombs one of the nation's most revered and honoured symbols - the Unknown Australian Solider.
As the cold Canberra morning fog began to lift, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had a symbolic and practical duty to perform in the Hall of Memory. The tomb needed to be cleaned.
Where the Queen, Presidents, Prime Ministers and, most importantly, the public, have stood in silence, the nation's alternate prime minister was brought to his knees.
Under the watchful gaze of the nurse, the airman, the sailor and the soldier, Mr Shorten swept the tomb clean of gathering dust in silence.
It was prime minister Paul Keating during the eulogy in 1993 who noted it was "not the generals and the politicians but the soldiers and sailors and nurses - those who taught us to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together".
Mr Shorten later described his simple act as "deeply humbling and moving. An absolute privilege".
He has not been the only one. Former Coalition defence minister, now the Australian War Memorial Director Dr Brendan Nelson, first lay on his stomach and cleaned the tomb in 2013 and found it such a "transformative spiritual and emotional experience" he extended the opportunity to all MPs and Senators.
Three have taken up the opportunity so far: Stuart Robert, Craig Kelly and Senator James McGrath. Dr Nelson hopes many more will come.
Mr Shorten pledged to encourage his colleagues to make the journey across the lake.
Dr Nelson welcomes his guest cleaners but then quietly disappears to leave them on their own as he believes "the most significant things that transform your own outlook and thinking come from random moments of quiet contemplation".
He had recently explained to US Senator John McCain during his visit "the symbolism is very deliberate, there is the political capital of our nation but here is the nation's soul, where we reveal our character as Australians" as they looked down Anzac Parade to the house on the hill.
