So ANZAC Day is probably the most important day in Australia, as it commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought side by side in their first major battle--on the the Gallipoli Peninsula of Turkey, during WWI. I had been meaning to write about the history of ANZAC Day and the ANZACs, as we had talked about it to death in my Intro to Australia class. However, now that it's crunch time in the semester, I've been spending lots of time in the chemistry lab, writing school papers, and travelling on the weekends, so in lieu of a description of the holiday from me, check it out here--Wikipedia has some great external links at the end of the article too.
Basically I was at Federation Square to watch a parade of other countries, bands, and many veterans (not real ANZACs, they're almost all gone by now) walk across the Yarra River to the Shrine of Remembrance, in the Botanic Gardens. I was surprised to see some Turks in the procession (German Andre: "That's like Nazis marching in a WWII parade!"), but they made sure to hold up a sign indicating the reconciliation between the two nations after WWI.
It's a sign of how connected Australia felt to the British Empire that only 16 years after federation it sent thousands of its sons to fight for the Allied Forces. Though the battle was ultimately a huge failure in just about all military aspects, the ANZAC myth of selfless sacrifice and duty to one's country (and empire) has lasted to the present. It's the most important holiday in Australia, as I said, and many others will tell you that the Australian identity was formed on the fields of Gallipoli.
More pictures, and two videos--bagpipes and an explanation of ANZAC Day by some professor. Sorry that it's so shaky--I was zooming in all the way.
2 comments:
Hi Adam. I want you to have this comment as your very own. I hope it warms you during the dark hours of the night.
I think I preferred silence.
I'm holding up one finger on my hand, and you can take it as YOUR very own.
Love,
your son
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