On Tuesday afternoon, the Essendon Football Club came together for an all-of-Club event at the Shrine of Remembrance.

The occasion began with a guided tour, as players and staff explored the rich history of the Shrine and listened to powerful stories highlighting the sacrifices made by men and women during the First World War.

Following the tour, an inspirational sit-down conversation was held, hosted by Essendon Chief Executive Officer Tim Roberts, where he was joined by Bek Harron and Jennifer Ward.

Bek served with the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service for 21 years and worked extensively on aeromedical evacuations in the Middle East, bringing wounded service members out of conflict zones including Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since leaving the RAAF, Bek has pursued a career as an artist, with her work focusing on the impact of military service. Her artwork is currently being displayed at the Australian National Veterans Art Museum.

Bek shared her wisdom with the group, and highlighted the significance of the occasion.

“You guys are amazing role models, and you have such an opportunity to influence people in just the really gentle ways. You would have seen that, all the kids looking at you in awe on the way in,” Bek said.

“This is your opportunity, they'll look to you and they'll follow in what you do.

“I want you to carry the gravity with this match. It's so important to people in defence.”

Bek will also be leading Essendon’s scarf wave at the beginning of the match on Saturday. 

Jennifer, the mother of fallen soldier Benjamin Ranaudo, courageously shared her story of her son and spoke about his motivation, while reminding everyone of the importance of never taking the opportunity of being part of Anzac Day for granted.

Jennifer has the honour of leading the annual Anzac Day Parade to the Shrine of Remembrance on Saturday, as well as presenting the Best on Ground medal at the Anzac Day match.

“It's a hard life, being in the military. Same as your life, you're scrutinised by the public all the time. In the military, they've got to live up to a standard too,” Jennifer said.

“Don't let anybody else push you around. Keep focused on what's important to you. You are so talented as a group. But in numbers, you should support each other and always support each other.”

Essendon great Jobe Watson also joined the group, providing an insight into just how special it is to be part of such a momentous occasion.

“One of the things I enjoyed the most about actually playing on Anzac Day was driving into the game. You would see people walking around wearing medals, you see the connection of what the day meant,” Jobe said.

 “It was always one of my favourite memories of playing for the football Club, was to see the society and what the impact of the day was to the public.”

Following the Shrine visit, Essendon staff and players, including Dyson Sharp, Hussien El-Achkar, Jayde Nguyen, Sullivan Robey, Max Kondogiannis, Tom Edwards, Jacob Farrow, Archie May, Liam McMahon and Lachie Blakiston, took to the streets to assist in raising funds for the ANZAC Appeal.

The group engaged with the community, helping raise awareness of where the funds go and reinforcing the importance of supporting such a meaningful cause.

Essendon will take on Collingwood for the annual Anzac Day blockbuster on Saturday 25 April at the MCG.