As Australians pause on Remembrance Day to honour those who fought and died for their country, it is to the once bloody battlefields of Gallipoli that we should turn for lessons of peace, according to one man with a unique perspective on the subject.
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Friends of Turkey chairman John Basarin said the friendship between Turkey and Australia was an example of how the worst of enemies could become good friends.
"It is a beacon of hope to the world," he said.
"War is horrible, no matter what side you are on, but Gallipoli is an example that we can raise the standard."
Born in Turkey, the son of a Turkish army officer, Dr Basarin is also a naturalized Australian, calling Australia home for nearly 50 years.
He has devoted almost 40 years to studying and educating others about the conflict from a Turkish perspective.
As the founding chairman of the Friends of Turkey association, he has spent 12 years fostering friendships between the former foes.
Dr Basarin was just 10 years old when his father took him on a trip from their home in Istanbul to Gallipoli.
Taking in the views across the peninsular, he told him "Son, this is where our nation was born".
It was not until 1973 when he migrated to Australia as a trained chemical engineer that Dr Basarin realized that Australians held the same view.
In fact, he was unaware that Australia had even fought at Gallipoli.
"We were never told that Australia was at Gallipoli. We were told that the British dominions came to fight at Gallipoli," he said.
"I realised Gallipoli had an immense bearing on Australia and it became very important to my life."
Gallipoli is, he said, "in Australia's DNA".
"It's our spiritual birthplace and it is great that peace came out of it."
Dr Basarin wrote his first book in 1985 called A Turkish View of Gallipoli, making a significant impact on Australian readers.
"It told me that Australians were ready to listen to the other side of the story."
Since then, he has written or co-authored seven books, turning a hobby into a passion.
Dr Basarin, who was in Warrnambool last week presenting Lone Pine trees to district schools, received the 2005 Victorian Premier's Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs and the 2010 Anzac Peace prize.
He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2015 for his work on military history and enhancing relations with Turkey.
The Warrnambool Remembrance Day service is on at the city's war memorial from 10.30am.
