ANZAC day and what it means to me

ANZAC day is pretty important to me!!! I grew up listening to stories of my grandfathers experiences as a POW (prisoner of war) .  He was in camps along the Burma railway and the Bridge over river Kwai.  The stories are pretty horrible, he was lucky enough to make it home, he had to spend a year in hospital recovering , A YEAR!!!!! even as a nurse i can hardly comprehend the state he must have been in to take that long to heal .

As kids we always went to the Dawn services and participated in the marches to honor our Grandfather and the Anzac's

It makes me pretty angry when i hear people disrespecting ANZAC day and all the fuss over weather it is an offence to the multicultural society of Australia

Well too bad - get over it !!!! This is part of Australia's tradition and part of the Australian culture - part of my culture, my family and my way of life! I don't disrespect other peoples traditions, and expect the same courtesy

I once attended ANZAC day with a nurse from Germany - she came to the services but was quite confused by the whole day and could not fathom the reason for it - What could we say - its a day of celebration, of honor of remembrance for those fallen, and those still fighting.

I visted the Bridge over RiverKwai several years ago, and i felt the errie stillness around me, the heat, the jungle, i couldnt and didnt want to imagine what had happended there! I bolted through the museum it was too much.

I visited the graveyard, the locals keep it in perfect condition and i saw the graves of the men who had fought next to my Grandfather. It was very sad.

I hope my children never have to go through war, I hope the world has learnt its lesson !!

Deaths of Australians in War - copied from the Roll of Honor - www.awm.gov.au

New Zealand	1860–61	Nil
Sudan	1885	9
South Africa	11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902	589
China	6 August 1900 – 25 April 1901	6
First World War	4 August 1914 – 31 March 1921	61,512
Second World War	3 September 1939 – 30 June 1947	39,649
Malayan Emergency	16 June 1948 – 31 July 1960	39
Korean War	27 June 1950 – 27 July 1953	340
Indonesian Confrontation	24 December 1962– 11 August 1966	16
Malay Peninsula	19 February 1964 – 11 August 1966	2
Vietnam War	3 August 1962 – 29 April 1975	521
Thailand	25 June 1965 – 31 August 1968	2
Somalia	20 October 1992 – 30 November 1994	1
East Timor	16 September 1999 – 18 August 2003	2
Afghanistan	11 October 2001 – present	39[2]
Iraq	16 July 2003 – present	2
Total		102,729

ANZAC - stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.

Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future. (www.awm.gov.au, 2013).

My Grandfathers name is on a wall just like this one

What does Anzac Day mean today? With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in that war. The meaning of Anzac Day today includes the remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations.

Members from Australia's Federation Guard form a catafalque party around the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier at the Australian War Memorial.

What happens on ANZAC Day? Anzac Day remembrance takes two forms. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing in Gallipoli – across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet to take part in marches through the major cities and in many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are more formal and are held at war memorials around the country.

A typical Anzac Day ceremony may include the following features: an introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, a recitation, the Last Post, a period of silence, either the Rouse or the Reveille, and the national anthem. After the Memorial’s ceremony, families often place red poppies beside the names of relatives on the Memorial’s Roll of Honour, as they also do after Remembrance Day services. (www.army.gov.au, 2013)

The Ode

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The Last post

Julia Gillard rejects fears that Anzac Day centenary could divide Australia

• by: Phillip Hudson, Gemma Jones
• From: Herald Sun
• March 26, 2012 6:21PM

(only partial article)

Bureaucrats spent almost $370,000 for focus-group testing and a research paper used by the Government to guide 2015 commemoration plans, which listed multiculturalism under "risks and issues" that should be considered to avoid "unexpected negative complications."
The report also called on organisers to avoid any reference to current military action because they are "unpopular with young people".
The research paper states: "Commemorating our military history in a multicultural society is something of a double-edged sword.
"While the 100th anniversaries are thought to provide some opportunity for creating a greater sense of unity, it is also recognised as a potential area of divisiveness.
"There are strong views either way in terms of how to recognise any 'non Australian' military service of those who now live here."
More research into the impact of Anzac Day commemorations on recently arrived migrants was suggested.
But the report acknowledged that making the centenary events "overly political correct'' would not be well received generally or by military personnel.
Commemorations should be "culturally sensitive and inclusive'', the paper said.
It said events to mark the centenary and wars which had claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Australians should not be "unrelentingly gloomy''.  Any commemoration "needs to allow a positive end, make it uplifting after being reflective''.
"Commemoration fatigue'' was identified in focus groups if events spanned a planned four years - the same amount of time Australians spent fighting in hellish conditions at places including Gallipoli and the Western Front during World War I.
The paper has been panned by the RSL, which maintains Australia's enthusiasm for the day remains as strong as ever.
RSL national president Ken Doolan, a member of the Anzac Day National Commission and the Anzac Centenary advisory board, said Anzac Day held a "central place in Australia''.
"The Australian people have said overwhelmingly that they want the centenary celebrated,'' he said.
Victorian RSL president David McLachlan said the commemoration had the full support of Australia's Turkish communities and the Turkish Government.
There were no multicultural issues with the planned event, Mr McLachlan said.
Ray Brown, of the Injured Service Persons Association, was horrified by the spending. "We've always seemed to get it right, we have never offended anybody.
"We seem to be able to acknowledge war is not a nice thing and that people on both sides lose out - and we have never had to spend $300,000 combined, let alone in one year,'' he said.
The cost is on top of more than $103,000 on focus groups to discuss "branding concepts'' for the centenary in 2015.
A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said the research paper was to "gain an understanding of the views, perceptions, knowledge and aspirations of the Australian people in relation to Anzac commemoration and the impending centenary''.
- with Nathan Mawby, AAP