HARD-WORKING: Mavis Blackwood in uniform, 1942.

ALTHOUGH this Saturday will mark a century, Anzac Day goes beyond the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915.

It is the day on which we remember Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

The Whitsunday region has plenty of fascinating veterans with extraordinary tales who each served our country in different ways.

Sitting around a table at Mavis and Ray Blackwood's home in Shute Harbour on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs Blackwood holds a photo of a group of ecstatic women sitting atop a signal station at Wickham Point in Caloundra taken on August 15, 1945.

It was the day Japan surrendered, in effect ending the Second World War.

Mrs Blackwood was a go-getter, desperate to break stereotypes for her era and become a pilot.

With this goal in mind, she became a wireless telegraphist (an operator of morse code) for the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service from 1942-45.

Her husband Ray joined the Royal Australian Air Force for two years and travelled to Canada to become a navigator.

Another local veteran, Robert Voigt joined the Australian Army at 19 years of age on July 23 1986.

During his service, he achieved the rank of Warrant Office Class One, and was deployed to many different countries both on operations and bilateral training activities.

He also served in East Timor and posted to Rifle Company Butterworth, 2/30 Training Group, Penang and Malaysia for three years.

Younger veteran, Stewart Locke was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 as a Section Second In Command (Lance Corporal).

Mr Locke's section participated in about 120 missions, providing security to high-profile military and political personnel. "If the opportunity arises, I would go and fight straight away," he said.

Terry Brown spent 24 years and eight months in the Royal Australian Air Force where he served at bases in Australia and in Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, America and Israel too.

"It's not a matter about how you commemorate Anzac Day but that you do," he said.