Australia' Holiest Day?

[Raptor]

As April 25th is probably the most sacred day on the Aussie calender I thought I'd post this.

Today is the anniversary of the Aussies courageous efforts at the debacle that was Gallipoli in Turkey, during WW1. After being landed at the wrong spot by the British, they found themselves outnumbered immensely & on the worst terrain imaginable for a fighting man, yet fought with valour, courage, & a spirit of mateship unmatched in its day. For full details, google either Gallipoli or Lone Pine. On this day, Australia became a nation rather than just a colony, & celebrates the fighting spirit of my adopted country. The following verse is said at services & RSL clubs (Returned Servicemen's League) all over Australia, along with a minute's silence.

They shall not grow old,
As we who 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.

Lest We Forget

[Fearnest]

Ah, ye beat me to it, fair and square!

To all the Aussies and Kiwis out there, a small commemoration, an undying sense of gratitude, and a hope there will soon be a day when blood no longer need be shed between nations.

What is ANZAC Day?
ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Why is this day so special to Australians?
When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only fourteen 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 to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the 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 were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

[Graham]

Anzac Day IS a holi-day (you folks call it a vacation). We all get the day off (except self employed people like me who are working).

I would argue about the term Australia's holiest day. It is obviously a special day of rememberance to those who fought in the war and for their families. The country acknowledges the pain and suffering the diggers went through, even the folly and futility of conflict and the lives lost.

..but a holy day? I don't think so. The day is unconnected to any Christian celebration (or any other religion for that matter).
I think Christmas and Good Friday remain at the top of the holy day list still.

I hope I'm not being too picky

[macwilkin]

Raptor,

Thank you for your post. I have a good friend in Toowoomba, Qld. that sent me several videos of Channel 7's coverage of the Brisbane ANZAC Day parade back in the late '90's; I was very moved by what I saw, and saddened that Americans do not do similar on Memorial & Veteran's Day here. We could learn a lot from the Aussies (and Kiwis) in this regard. What really touched me were all of the children wearing the medals of their fathers/grandfathers in the parade, and marching with their old comrades.

Tomorrow I will wear my Digger "slouch hat" pin from the Qld. ANZAC Day committee as a wee reminder of the sacrifice made that day at Gallipoli by the Aussies, Kiwis, Scots, Irish, English and French that faced Johnny Turk. I will also listen to my John Williamson CD and his version of And the band played Waltzing Matilda.

And whilst ANZAC Day is not a religious holiday, a verse from the Bible does come to mind:

Greater love hath no man that he lay down his life for his friends [mates].

We will remember.

Regards,

Todd

[turpin]

Todd, If you hadn't already mentioned that song, I was going to. My son's band played it at their CD release party. I had never heard it before, and it raised the hair on the back of my neck. It's a beaut.

[Freelander Sporrano]

I too will listern to one of my favorite track the Dubliners have ever recorded
"And the band played Waltzing Matilda."

Happy ANZAC day

[AnimalK]

[Raptor]

I spent half the day doing the dawn service,listening to Redgum's "Only 19" (otherwise known as "A walk in the light green", & a particularly moving song with personal meaning) and weeping quietly to myself. However, all good now

[macwilkin]

Todd, If you hadn't already mentioned that song, I was going to. My son's band played it at their CD release party. I had never heard it before, and it raised the hair on the back of my neck. It's a beaut.

I too will listern to one of my favorite track the Dubliners have ever recorded
"And the band played Waltzing Matilda."

Happy ANZAC day

The aforementioned John Williamson (www.malleeboy.com) also does a great song, Diggers of the ANZAC, about the filming of the movie Gallipoli at Port Lincoln SA. Williamson wanted to remind the extras playing the Diggers that their role was important and that they were helping to preserve the story of ANZAC.

T.

[Freelander Sporrano]

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray’s green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over

Then in nineteen-fifteen my country said son
It’s time to stop rambling ’cause there’s work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off for Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
When the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter

Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he’d blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
And we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then it started all over again

Now those who were living did their best to survive
In that mad world of death, blood and fire
And for seven long weeks I kept myself alive
While the corpses around me piled higher

Then a big Turkish shell knocked me **** over tit
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, Christ I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying

And no more I’ll go waltzing Matilda
To the green bushes so far and near
For to hang tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

So they collected the cripples, the wounded and maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The legless, the armless, the blind and insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla

And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
And they turned their faces away

And now every April I sit on my perch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving the dreams of past glory

I see the old men, all twisted and torn
The forgotten heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask me, what are they marching for ?
And I ask myself the same question

And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ?