ANZAC day.

Yesterday we celebrated our first Anzac Day, which for the uninitiated (including us until yesterday) stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and is a day to commemorate and remember all Australians and New Zealanders who currently and formerly served in the armed services and those who died in any war, conflict, or peacekeeping mission.  Initially I thought it would be a holiday similar to Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day in the US, and there are some similarities, except that the remembrance celebrations are not only held in every major city in Australia and New Zealand, they are also held in some locations around the world where Australians and New Zealanders died in significant battles during the first or second world war.  And although I am by no means a citizen and have no real connection with Australia or its history, I was inspired at the honor they bestow upon their veterans and fallen comrades through these ceremonies.

Shrine of Remembrance

To celebrate Anzac Day in Melbourne, there were three main ceremonies: 1) A dawn service, held at 6 AM at the beautiful Shrine of Remembrance, 2) A march of veterans, from the CBD to the Shrine of Remembrance, and 3) A commemorative service at 1 PM with a speech by the Governor of Melbourne and the laying of wreaths in honor of all those who have died in service.  Although the thought of attending a dawn service was intriguing, we decided to arrive later in the morning when we were told the crowds would be more manageable.  After a little 2 mile run from our apartment to the Victoria Gardens, we walked a few minutes to the Shrine of Remembrance, arriving just after 11 AM in the middle of the march of veterans.  As you can see, the march was filled with handmade banners representing all the different divisions or companies within each branch of the military that served Australia and New Zealand, as well as any surviving veterans from the respective company.  On a random note, the parade also featured a lot of veterans riding in classic Ford Mustangs. 

classic Ford Mustang

After watching the march for a while, we made our way home and turned on the TV to watch the remainder of the ceremony.  After flipping through the channels, all we could find was coverage of the dawn service in Gallipoli.  This piqued my curiosity, as I couldn’t figure out why there would be a dawn service in Gallipoli for Anzac Day.  So I opened up Wikipedia and read the following about the Gallipoli Campain: “The campaign is often considered as marking the birth of national consciousness in Australia and New Zealand and the date of the landing, 25 April, is known as Anzac Day.  It remains the most significant commemoration of military casualties and veterans in those two countries, surpassing Remembrance Day.”  That’s pretty incredible, and it now makes perfect sense why having a service in Gallipoli would be so important.

Following the conclusion of the dawn service from Gallipoli, the news stations turned to a dawn service in Villers-Bretonneux, which is located in northern France.  Similar to Gallipoli, it is the site of a significant battle featuring the First Australian Imperial Force in the First World War.  I’d recommend reading the short Wikipedia entry, but to summarize it was a town that was lost to the Germans for a day before being recaptured by the First Australian Imperial Force at the cost of over 1200 Australian lives.  Today it is the site of a war memorial and the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, a school that was rebuilt using donations from school children in Victoria, Australia, and an annual memorial on Anzac day to remember the Australians who lost their lives to recapture the town.  When the memorial was unveiled in 1919, the mayor of the town had this to say:

"The first inhabitants of Villers-Bretonneux to re-establish themselves in the ruins of what was once a flourishing little town have, by means of donations, shown a desire to thank the valorous Australian Armies, who with the spontaneous enthusiasm and characteristic dash of their race, in a few hours drove out an enemy ten times their number...They offer a memorial tablet, a gift which is but the least expression of their gratitude, compared with the brilliant feat which was accomplished by the sons of Australia...Soldiers of Australia, whose brothers lie here in French soil, be assured that your memory will always be kept alive, and that the burial places of your dead will always be respected and cared for..."

Although the holiday is not without its critics, my experience was that Anzac Day was a very solemn and gracious way to pay tribute to all those who have served Australia and New Zealand.  The importance of remembering those who have given their lives for their country is summarized by the slogan of Anzac Day: “Lest We Forget.”

BK