As Australians pause to remember past sacrifices, Stephen Shead and his family prepare for battle, though the conflict he will soon enter will be fought out on a different field to his army chaplain grandfather.
CMS supporters gathered in St Andrew's Chapter House in the city today to meet the Sheads as they prepare to take up missionary positions in Chile.
For Stephen Shead, Remembrance Day is especially poignant.
As supporters pause at 11.00 am to remember the fallen, his thoughts turn to his grandfather.
The Rev. Alan E. Begbie was a chaplain with Australian troops during World War II, and served on the front line in Pacific battlefields, as well as a posting in the Vietnam War.
In 1957 he was then appointed as the Chaplain General of the Australian armed forces.
"He had a very big personality, a big laugh," Mr Shead says.
"He was a very gospel-hearted man and an energetic evangelist. People like Bishop Paul Barnett were converted through his preaching at St Stephen's, Willoughby."
Mr Shead says his "common touch' and a firm grasp of the eternal struggle he was involved in helped his grandfather convey the reliability of his faith in the most desperate times.
"He was in New Guinea and had some horrific experiences," Mr Shead recalls.
"He and another man recovered, identified and buried 90 men over a four week period. Then when he returned to Australia, he personally visited their families."
Stephen Shead is about to embark as a new soldier destined for a battleground of a spiritual kind.
Stephen and his wife Rebecca, along with their young boys Benjamin, Lachlan, and Tristan, are heading to Chile as missionaries next year to take up the fight for souls in a country where religion is a way of life for many but a personal faith for only a few.
"The thing that's made us apprehensive," he shares, "is the kids and how they will cope."
"But even though we're going into a battle, it's one where the war is already won," he says.
"And it's not like we're going to need any new weapons. God has already provided everything for our defense."
The Sheads plan to leave for Chile in the first half of 2006 after Stephen has completed work on his doctorate in Biblical Hebrew.
Mr Shead will be working with the local Anglican Diocese's fledgling Centre for Pastoral Studies.
His family's journey to this point has taught Stephen and Rebecca to trust God more with their children; they hope their witness mirrors his grandfather's efforts.
"The letters he sent back indicated that his faith was never shaken."
People wishing to support the Sheads in South America can contact the CMS website.
