An Essay On The ANZAC Day

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, better known as ANZACs, is a single word so powerful that it can bring with it a mixture of emotions, some of sorrow and loss but many of pride and admiration for our fallen soldiers. The ANZAC tradition began on April 25, 1915 when Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople, (now Istanbul) the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. 13 years after Australia’s federation their efforts would unite our country more than ever before. Western Australian communities have united in response to wartime pressures by establishing a national day of commemoration for fallen soldiers, otherwise known as ANZAC Day, the creation of the Dawn Service and the initiation of the annual ANZAC march.

Western Australian communities have united in establishing a national day of commemoration (ANZAC Day) in recognition of our soldiers.

ANZAC Day goes beyond the anniversary of landing on Gallipoli in 1915, it is a day we remember those who died in any war, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. It also marks the anniversary of the first military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces. It is here that we became globally recognised as a nation. “It’s a day when we paid a terrible price, so many young lives. They deserve to be celebrated. And I think it’s very reaffirming of our society that so many people care about something that happened so long ago.” Every year children, grandchildren, friends, family and the general public come together and unite in commemoration for those who lost their lives. We stand by those of us who are family and friends of the fallen and give our support. ANZAC day is one where we come together and thank those who fought for us to grant our freedom. We unite in commemoration for our

soldiers.

The Dawn Service was first initiated in response to wartime pressures in 1927, when a group of five war veterans were making their way home from an ANZAC function when they stopped at a yet unfinished cenotaph. As the story goes, the men saw an elderly woman placing flowers on the cenotaph and they immediately bowed their heads beside her and vowed to hold a dawn service each year. In 1928, 150 people gathered to lay wreaths and observe two minutes of silence as a mark of respect, and the tradition of the dawn service was born. The Dawn Service is symbolic in the sense that we ‘move out of the darkness and into the light’ and also it has resonance with military and naval life, as dawn is strategically important for both. One of the first ever Dawn Services began here in Western Australia, in Albany. Reverend Arthur Ernest White who served as an army chaplain at Gallipoli first started the service. Reverend White would throw a wreath into the water and say “As the sun rises and goeth down, we will remember them” At the 2015 Centenary Service in King’s Park 80,000 Western Australians attended , 100 years since our troops landed on Gallipoli. These people came to together as one to remember and commemorate the lives of those that were lost in the war. We unite in the sense that we come together during commemorative activities and pay tribute to our soldiers. We must also unite and cooperate in the organising of these activities and in the days prior to these events. The Dawn Service is a nationally recognised event that wishes us to unite in remembrance of our soldiers.

Each year ANZAC Day marches are held all over Australia as part of commemorations for our ANZACs. Marches include veterans from all past wars as well as current service men and women. From cities to small towns the ANZAC March has long been a centrepiece of the ANZAC commemorative events. Marches were held in the 1920s and became popular with veterans to honour their lost friends publicly and express comradeship. Traditionally, only veterans who saw active service took part in the march but the rule were later relaxed to include those who served in Australia in armed services or ‘land armies.’ Today, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren march to represent family members or to assist aged veterans. “They showed us courage, sacrifice, love of country, mate-ship and compassion. The spirit of the ANZACs and the spirit of Australia is one and the same.” - David Singer, Afghanistan Veteran and a speaker at the Perth’s Anzac Day Parade 2015. War Veterans and the public alike; unite as marchers and as spectators in order to remember our soldiers in the commemorative march and beyond.

Western Australian communities have united during wartime pressures by honouring our fallen veterans in the form of a national day of commemoration, also known as ANZAC Day, the establishment of the Dawn Service and the creation of the ANZAC March. ANZAC Day is a day that we acknowledge the loss of our fallen soldiers. We pay tribute to them by attending commemorative events such as the Dawn Service and ANZAC Marches. These events were created for the purpose of honouring those of us who had the courage to go to war and fight for our country. We acknowledge the hardships they had to overcome and the losses they had to deal with. During these times of acknowledgment and remembrance we come together in unity and support those in dealing with the loss of their relatives and close friends. We unite in remembering and honouring their lives as ones that will not be forgotten. We will remember them.