This year is the first of four assigned to commemorating the Anzac centenary.

Mr Lindsay said the message often delivered is that Australia's involvement in World War I was a "nation building" event.

"You actually cannot test that - how can you?" he said.

"What about the other 50 per cent of the population who didn't fight?

"If you look at poetry from 1914 to 1918, women were at home waiting to be ravaged, chasing and abusing shirkers, saying goodbye and crying, praying or knitting - that's how they're portrayed."

Lindsay said the "escalation" of the centenary into a string of national events brought the idea of the commemorative day into question.

"Anzac Day, after World War I, World War II, Vietnam etcetera, became commemoration for all soldiers that died, principally," he said.

Mr Lindsay encouraged people to consider what Anzac Day meant "on different levels".

"War is about death, it's not about victory and honour - they say you have to have pride, but pride is one of the seven deadly sins, isn't it?" he said.

Mr Lindsay is compiling a book of poetry as part of his 100 Years from Gallipoli Project.

For more information go to www.ozzywriters.com.