ANZAC Day

Where to start… This has been the hardest post to write about. Not because I am short of ideas, but because there are different emotions tied into all of the thoughts and memories of the day.

The sense of grandeur and ceremony were truly present throughout the occasion. It was amazing to bear witness to it. The most memorable part of the whole ceremony would be the reflection time that we all had before the actual ceremony began. Hearing the stories of the old Diggers really made you feel like you were a part of it with them, as you can see what they mean about the landscape or weather etc. However the biggest tear jerker for me was watching the short film “The Telegram Man”. That was an amazing short film that featured some really good acting from famous Australian actors.

The ceremony was amazing, it was great to hear from our two Prime Ministers and the Prince of Wales as they were conveying their messages to the assembled guests. They all spoke with fondness to the ANZAC soldiers and the Turkish foe. The image of the foothills lit up will stay with me forever. It was such an amazing scene. You could see the enormousness of the taxk ahead of those soldiers.

After the ceremony we had the opportunity to walk up to Lone Pine or Chunuk Bair. The hills were steep, very, very steep. However, I made it up! The views were amazing, but their was a sense of reverence about the whole location. Bryan and I viewed every cemetery, looked at the names inscribed on the headstones as well as the ages of those killed. As a teacher of young adults, it is more than a little unnerving to see that a high percentage of those killed are only a couple of years older than that of my upper primary school aged students. 15/16/17 year olds felt compelled to sign up and die for their country. Would this happen in modern day, western society?

The Chunuk Bair ceremony was very moving. Hearing songs from New Zealand, sung by amazing singers as well as a choir of young students was heartening. You could definitely feel the energy present at the service. The crowd only numbered 2000 rather than the 8000 at Lone Pine. This made it feel all the more intimate and special.

We made it back to our hotel by 10.30, others had a much longer journey, arriving after 2.30 the next morning. It wasn't lost on me that I could get off the peninsular with relative ease, however the cost of the ANZAC’s leaving was a lot higher. It could have cost their lives.

It is hard to write about this day as there are still so many emotions and ideas floating around. I will recount more in person.