Record crowds honor Aust, NZ war dead

The dawn service at Hellfire Pass, Thailand, where many ANZACs perished during World War II

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australians and New Zealanders have gathered around the world in record numbers to commemorate their war dead in annual ANZAC Day memorial services and marches.

Tens of thousands of Australian and New Zealanders arose before dawn on Thursday to pay their respects at early morning services, while hundred of thousands lined the streets of the cities and towns for the morning marches by the veterans of international conflict.

What began as a remembrance for the more than 8,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers lost in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign during the First World War, has become a broader acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by the nations' armed forces across the globe.

So while there is now only one Australian survivor of the disastrous Turkish campaign of 87 years ago, the popularity of the ANZAC Day memorials has rarely been stronger.

EXTRA INFORMATION The history of ANZAC  and the Gallipoli campaign

Many thousands of Australians and New Zealanders now make a pilgrimage to Turkey for a dawn service to commemorate the day -- April 25, 1915 -- when the first troops arrived at the coast which is now named ANZAC Cove.

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Services are also held in other countries where Australasian troops have served with distinction.

These include Hellfire Pass in Thailand, Sabah in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Villiers Bretonneux in France.

For both nations, the heroic, if futile, efforts of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Great War represent the defining moment in determining the countries' nationhood.

Rugby World Cup

A record crowd turned out for the ANZAC Parade in Sydney this year

While still economically and, and a large degree politically, dependent on the ties with the colonial "mother country" of Britain at the time of Gallipoli, the military sacrifices helped forged a national identity for these fledgling Pacific nations.

But while the ANZAC spirit of mateship, loyalty and determination is celebrated more passionately than ever, relations between the battlefield allies Australia and New Zealand are decidedly shaky in 2002.

The most recent issue to divide the Pacific neighbors has been the hosting of the rugby union World Cup in 2003.

The two nations -- who both top the world rankings in rugby -- were supposed to be joint hosts of the event.

But when New Zealand balked at signing the co-host agreement with the International Rugby Board last month, Australia seized the opportunity to go it alone, presenting a well-prepared, and ultimately successful, solo bid to the board.

Such is the New Zealanders' passion for rugby -- as embodied in the national team the All Blacks -- this perceived duplicity on the part of Australia has reverberated to the highest levels.

Airline wars

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was forced to issue a pubic reassurance that despite the obvious disappointment, the issue would not affect political or business relations between the two countries.

But the rifts run deeper than rugby.

Many Australians blame New Zealand's national airline for the collapse of their former number two-ranked carrier, Ansett, which was owned by Air New Zealand.

Theories abound that Air NZ stripped assets from Ansett and ran it into the ground before abandoning it to receivership.

New Zealanders, for their part, fear that Australia's leading airline Qantas has a game plan to either take over Air NZ or use its market power to force it out of business.

Aircraft of another type have also caused contention.

Illegal immigration

Young Australians pay their respects at ANZAC Cove in Turkey

The New Zealand government's recent decision to mothball its aging fleet of Skyhawk fighter aircraft rankled Australia's defense community, many of whom believe the Kiwis already do not pull their weight sufficiently in the general protection of the region.

The issue of illegal immigration is also a point of contention in some circles.

Australia has adopted a tough, zero-tolerance approach to illegal immigration, whereas New Zealand adopts a more liberal view.

Because of the free movement of citizens between the two countries, some Australians believe immigrants are entering Australia illegally via New Zealand.

While none of these issues, individually, is souring relations at the top political levels -- Clark and Australian leader John Howard profess a close and comfortable working relationship -- cumulatively they are taking a toll.

But for all the recent animosity, history has shown that in times of war or national threat, the spirit of ANZAC still engenders the strongest of international alliances.