Musician and diplomat Fred Smith OAM was present during the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021 and helped usher thousands of evacuees to Hamid Karzai International Airport.
His eyewitness footage recorded on the day now forms part of an installation at the War Memorial in Canberra which tells the story of the capture of Afghanistan and the Taliban's return to power.
Matt Anderson PSM, who served as Ambassador to Afghanistan before becoming Director of the War Memorial, said the installation served as a first draft of history.
"Every person who served experienced a different Afghanistan and that is what the new galleries are trying to reflect," he said on Saturday.Â
"We have no official history, yet. This is the first draft."
Smith, who has since written a book on the experience as well as songs and poems, donated his broken phone and guitar to the memorial for the installation.
Part of his experience as a diplomat was receiving messages from locals desperate to escape as the Taliban seized power once more.
"I was getting messages from people I had worked with, who had become my friends who were all asking, 'What do we do?'" Mr Smith said.
"When your visa is on your phone and your battery dies, that can mean the difference between getting out or being left behind.
"Every day we told people; take an extra phone charger, keep your passport close, don't push, don't argue, just keep moving."
Mr Smith will perform two concerts on Saturday to commemorate the fall.
Acknowledging the many challenges that arose during the event, he noted Australia was able to successfully evacuate 4100 people, most of them now living across the country.
"Their girls and boys are going to school and having swimming lessons. We've changed people's lives. This is a story worth telling."
Anthony Albanese and several of his cabinet issued a statement on Saturday marking the anniversary.
They also acknowledged the efforts of the 39,000 Australian military and civilian personnel involved in Australia's operations in Afghanistan since 2001 and the repression faced by those continuing to live under Taliban rule.
"The Taliban's ongoing violations of human rights - including systematic attempts to erase women and girls from public life by stripping away education and employment opportunities that deny their potential - remain unacceptable," the prime minister said.
His remarks were co-signed by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Immigration Minister Tony Burke.
Detailing the ongoing humanitarian assistance the government has provided, Mr Albanese stressed Australia had not abdicated its responsibility to the people of Afghanistan.
"Today, we reaffirm our commitment ... to hold the Taliban to account," he said.
"We will continue to press for consequences and support international efforts to protect fundamental freedoms, ensuring that the Afghan people are not abandoned."
14°C