By Aaron Cordy
IT IS a half day at the shops, it is a footy match at the MCG, and it is a public holiday for those lucky enough to get it off. But for the men who bled on the beach of Gallipoli, it means so much more. To the families and friends of loved ones who never came home. To the men and women who have and continue to serve in our armed forces from then until today, ANZAC Day is about sacrifice, courage, and mateship that comes when faced with the horrors of war.
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, ANZAC’s formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula and open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during World War I.
Casualties on all sides of the conflict were horrific, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day we remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
Though as humans we don’t seem to learn from the tragedies of past conflicts, we must never forget the mistakes of our forebears and sacrifices made by ordinary men and women who served in the face of tyranny to uphold ideas of freedom, democracy and justice. We as Australians new and old must teach our children to reach for something better while never forgetting the past.
It is why on April 25 we hold dawn services around the country and on the shores of Gallipoli. To remember those who served on that first campaign in 1915 and those who still serve today. For the men and women who never came home, and for those who did but can never forget the horrors we inflict upon each other as humans.
Lest We Forget
