Seizing international engagement opportunities, Nick Bradman's (BPPE '23, LLB (Hons) '23) time at ANU took him from Canberra to Myanmar, Japan and Norway. These experiences contributed to his selection as a recipient of the Sir John Monash Scholarship, which supports him to study a Master of Laws degree (the BCL) at the University of Oxford in 2026. Continuing in this trajectory, Nick was invited to give the ANZAC Day dawn service address at the Australian National Memorial in France in April.  

In this interview, Nick talks about what this remarkable experience means to him and the value of a postgraduate scholarship.   

Can you explain the connection between your John Monash Scholarship and your role at the ANZAC Day service in France? 

Each year, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) sends a contingent of people to France to facilitate the annual ANZAC Day dawn service held at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux. The Australian National Memorial is also home to the Sir John Monash Centre, a new museum and interpretive centre telling the story of Australia’s role on the Western Front (including the contribution of General Sir John Monash). 

Recently, DVA has begun inviting one or two of the most recent Sir John Monash Scholars to be a part of their delivery team, representing the General Sir John Monash Foundation. I was invited this year, and was involved helping with preparations in the days leading up to ANZAC Day and delivering a speech as part of the service. 

What do you think this experience demonstrates to current ANU Law School students about the value of the John Monash Scholarship? 

For anyone considering a postgraduate scholarship, I think my experience in France demonstrates that the value of the John Monash Scholarship extends far beyond financial support. 

The Sir John Monash Foundation has uniquely strong and broad connections with industry and government organisations such as DVA, providing this scholarship with a unique strength in unlocking exceptional opportunities for students.  

To me, that was one of the key features that distinguished the John Monash Scholarship from other postgraduate opportunities – and another reason why I’d really encourage other ANU students to consider applying. 

Can you tell us more about what this experience meant to you? 

The ANZAC Day dawn service was a hugely special event to be a part of. On a personal level, relatives of mine once served and were injured in the fighting that occurred on the Western Front, which created a sense of personal connection to the land on which the Australian National Memorial now stands.

At the same time, the area holds significance for all Australians. The Australian National Memorial provides an opportunity to honour and reflect on the sacrifice of the nearly 50,000 Australians who lost their lives on the Western Front. More broadly, it is a place that brings home the enormous human cost of war. That is a message that is more important than ever as many destructive and unlawful conflicts continue to rage around the globe. 

It is easy to look back on the Western Front and shake our heads at a time when human life seemed so expendable. Yet a brief survey of current global events demonstrates that the lessons of history are still being learnt. Memorials such as that at Villers-Bretonneux serve as powerful reminders of those lessons and of the responsibility each generation carries to remember them. 

Was there anything about your experience that surprised you? 

What struck me most while travelling through the region was that, more than a century after the fighting ended, many French towns and villages are still festooned with Australian flags and other tributes in remembrance of the many young Australian lives lost. Seeing that enduring gratitude firsthand brought home the lasting impact Australia’s sacrifice had on those communities. That is a history that the Sir John Monash Centre seeks to preserve, and visiting the Centre is something I would strongly recommend to anyone travelling through the region.