Skip to main content

ANZAC Day 2013: a day of remembrance





Today is ANZAC Day—a day to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers and service-people of the corps are commonly known as Anzacs, and the spirit of courage and friendship (referred to as “mateship”) is a strong feature of the Anzacs. ANZAC Day is held each year on April 25. It is the anniversary of the landing on Gallipoli in 1915, the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. But it is also a day to remember all Aussies and Kiwis who served and/or died in all wars, conflicts, and peace-keeping operations. The Commemorative Ceremony for Torres Strait Islanders is also held on ANZAC Day after the dawn service at the First Nations memorial plaque.
Thirteen years after Australia became a federal Commonwealth, the First World War commenced. In 1915 the Anzacs aimed to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey to open up the Dardanelles for the British and allied ships. At the time, Istanbul was called Constantinople and Turkey was the Ottoman Empire which was an ally of Germany. Britain was at war with Germany. The Anzacs landed at Gallipoli on April 25 and defended the peninsula for eight months. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers lost their lives during that period. Although the campaign failed due to the strength of the Turkish forces, it left an important legacy of remembrance, and a long-lasting connection with Turkey.
Ceremonies are held in every town and city across the nation. In Canberra, the ceremonies are held at the Australian War Memorial. An annual ceremony is also held at Gallipoli, where thousands of Australians, New Zealanders and people of the allied forces travel to Turkey for the commemorations. The site is now known as Anzac Cove. Services are also held in France where many soldiers also lost their lives.
ANZAC Day was first held in 1942. As service-people aged, the parades grew thinner. But with the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the parade numbers have swelled to large proportions, and it is now a family day of remembrance. There are two services each year: (1) the dawn service from 5:00-6:00am to mark the time of the original landing in Gallipoli; and (2) the parade and ceremony from around 9:00am or 10:00am until noon.


The dawn service represents the “stand-to” in which soldiers took up their defensive positions in Gallipoli. Dawn services across the nation are presented by chaplains and not dignitaries, and are marked by a two-minute silence after which a lone bugler plays The Last Post, and concludes with Reveille (the call to wake up). The parades are formal ceremonies with dignitaries, including speeches. After the parade, wreaths are laid at the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A bugle plays The Last Post and Reveille, with a two-minute silence followed by the Australian national anthem. The public can place a single red poppy beside the Roll of Honour or on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.





MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...
Post a Comment
Read more