He believes it's never been more important to set politics aside and pay respect to those who served and fell in war.
The 79-year-old's family has a history of service, with both his father and uncle having spent time in the military.
"A lot of people do not understand the sacrifices," Mr Lawson told AAP.
"My uncle fought in the Battle of Milne Bay (in the Pacific) and he wasn't quite the same when he came back to Australia."
While he attends the Last Post Service every weekend at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, it was Mr Lawson's first dawn service.
Despite a limited view, he stood shoulder to shoulder in the crowd of 50,000 veterans, family members and strangers, some bearing medals, others only memories.
But the solemn mood was temporarily disrupted during the Welcome to Country delivered by Bunurong and Gunditjmara man Mark Brown.
Heckles could be heard followed by booing but Uncle Mark continued.
And as he concluded his address, loud cheers drowned out the disturbance.
"Politicising this sacred day is bastardry. I condemn it and so should every leader," Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.
Following the dawn service, many more people lined the streets and cheered as veterans made their way through Melbourne's city centre for the traditional Anzac Day march.
Blessed with unseasonably warm weather, Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner thanked and honoured those who served in conflicts and peacekeeping missions.
"Lest we forget. Those words sum up Anzac Day," she said.
Local shrines across Victoria were also packed on Saturday, with RSL-led services held in communities including Dandenong.
Grace Hill, 99, was among the thousands of women who served in intelligence support roles during World War II, and led ex-servicewomen at her local Anzac Day march.
Coming from a family of eight siblings, Ms Hill followed in the footsteps of two brothers who served in the army during the war, by joining the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service after her 18th birthday in 1944.
She wanted to play her part after the Japanese bombing of Darwin but didn't have the typing skills to become a writer in the WRANS.
"They suggested a cook or stewardess and I said no thanks," she told AAP.
Instead, she became a messenger.
After her training, Ms Hill deployed to the base in the Monterey apartments, a joint US-Australia intelligence unit, in South Yarra, about 15km from where she was born in Oakleigh.
There, she was sworn to secrecy - something she holds onto till this day.
"I'd be under the officer on duty, who had to tell me where the messages had to go," she said.
Ms Hill served for two years and witnessed the end of the war, recounting people dancing in the streets and men drinking in celebration.
As she nears her 100th birthday in May, the veteran said it was an honour to lead her local Anzac Day march.
"Being a World War II veteran, there's not many of us left," she said.
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