To all aussies have a good anzac day

[loopy 0]

Have a good day guys.

Those who want to know whats it all about

Australians rally to remember Anzacs

Thousands of people around the country have turned out to watch the sun rise on the Australian flag in memory of the soldiers who died at Gallipoli.

Dawn services have been held across the nation to mark the anniversary of what was a devastating World War I battle for Australia.

But there is a new poignancy to the ceremonies with Australian troops once again at war, this time against terrorism in the deserts of Afghanistan.

There was special mention at many services for slain Sergeant Andrew Russell, 33, killed in February when his vehicle hit a landmine in Afghanistan.

There were prayers too for elite Australian forces who remain there as part of the US-led war against terrorism sparked by the September 11 attacks.

"Over 100,000 Australians have died in the military service of their nation," Prime Minister John Howard said, as veterans prepared for Anzac Day marches around Australia.

"On this sacred day, we honour all Gallipoli veterans as we honour all Australian service men and women who gave or offered their lives in war."

Marches will go ahead in all states and territories, despite fears rising public liability insurance premiums might force cancellations.

In Hobart, 103-year-old Alec Campbell, the last survivor of the original Anzacs at Gallipoli, will take his place at the head of Hobart's Anzac Day parade.

Governor-General Peter Hollingworth is in Gallipoli and toured the once-bloody battlefields on Wednesday.

When the sun rises on Gallipoli, at about 1pm (AEST) our time, Dr Hollingworth will address a dawn service attended by thousands of Australians and New Zealanders.

He will also attend the New Zealand, British and French services and lay a wreath at the Lone Pine war cemetery.

In Europe, the Last Post will be played at a sunset service in the Belgian town of Ypres, the same town where a proposed motorway may cut across Australian World War I graves.

News of the proposal follows international protests over French plans to build an airport in the Somme area which would disturb thousands of war graves.

In Germany, a ceremony will be held at the 1939-1945 War Cemetery in Berlin, followed by a reception at the New Zealand embassy which alternatives as Anzac Day host with the Australian mission.

In London, High Commissioner Michael L'Estrange will attend a dawn service at Battersea Park before a midday service of commemoration and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

A group of talented Sydney high school students will provide the music for the abbey service.

Hundreds of Australians and New Zealanders will also celebrate Anzac Day in Papua New Guinea, the scene of some of World War II's most bitter fighting against the Japanese.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign, in which 600 Australians died fighting the Japanese along the treacherous jungle track over the Owen Stanley Ranges.

[CirKutz 0]

Cheers loopy.

Looks to be a nice day here, for the services.

Lest We Forget

[ChickenHawk 0]

I would personally like to thank the Australians and the New Zealanders for their part in the wars. They came across the sea to fight for my country in a war that did not pose a direct threat to Australia or New Zealand. They fought from the start to the end with bitter determination and heroism. One thing that sticks in my mind when I was watching a documentry from the first world war, was one Australian saying that Britain was in trouble, and it was the right thing to do. I know a lot has changed since then and feelings of Britain in Australia and New Zealand must have changed a lot. But its that statement that makes me proud to be allied with such countries.

"When you go home

Tell them of us and say,

For their tomorrow

We gave our today.'

The words inscribed on the memorial stones near the entrance to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Cemetery in Kohima, Assam, and India.

[168GRN HPBT 0]

great post loopy

***GO THE DIGGERS***

[Hilandor 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ChickenHawk @ April 24 2002,04:32)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would personally like to thank the Australians and the New Zealanders for their part in the wars. They came across the sea to fight for my country in a war that did not pose a direct threat to Australia or New Zealand. They fought from the start to the end with bitter determination and heroism. One thing that sticks in my mind when I was watching a documentry from the first world war, was one Australian saying that Britain was in trouble, and it was the right thing to do. I know a lot has changed since then and feelings of Britain in Australia and New Zealand must have changed a lot. But its that statement that makes me proud to be allied with such countries.

"When you go home

Tell them of us and say,

For their tomorrow

We gave our today.'

The words inscribed on the memorial stones near the entrance to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Cemetery in Kohima, Assam, and India.<span id='postcolor'>

yes indeed, that was the one good thing to come from the great wars, was the pulling together of nations for the same cause      off course apart from a certain country cos they insist in stating it could never have been done without them  etc etc and the world should be eternally gratefull

[christophercles 0]

Nice post, i was at the march today, it was good, sad to see there is only one actual ANZAC left though.

[InRange 1]

Yes, I too would like to thank all the foreigners that stood up to free my country from the Nazi occupation. And the Dutch East Indies from the Japanese occupation. Dutch troops died alongside Australians and British troops as well as Americans.

Thanks to you, we're still living in freedom.

[Sheriff 0]

Ah yes, Alittle wet but last year was good. Shame the bombers lost though.

[Major Fubar 0]

You can check out my post here.

Just so you know, my great-grandfather fought at Galipoli.

P.S. Not happy about my topic being closed.   Very disrepectful. (Gee, a whole two threads about the same topic)

Actually, I will copy my post below.

[Major Fubar 0]

In the warfields of Flanders, the Somme and of France,

The poppies are blooming, they sway and they dance.

Ten thousand Australians, all tanned and all fit

Have come to this Country, the enemy to hit.

The guns were all thundering, sombre and dull -

The infantry streaming, then so mournful a lull.

Our brave boys are falling courageous and strong

Hark! Something has happened, something is wrong!

The Light Horse are stumbling, shaken and falling -

They rally their mates on, true to their calling..

The battle swords clatter, the foes are retreating

The Aussies press onwards, their mission completing.

So throughout our great country, with pride our hearts turn

Our unknown soldier to us doth return

In the sunshine in Aussie, this day in November

Our Soldiers - our Heroes, we'll always remember!!!!

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.

The idea that some sort of "blood sacrifice" was a necessary rite of passage or initiation ceremony in the birth of a nation was common in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. In attempting the daunting task of storming the Gallipoli peninsula the Anzacs created an event which, it was felt, would help to shape the new Australia.

Early commemorations

The date, 25 April, was officially named Anzac Day in 1916; in that year it was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London, over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets of the city. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916. Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, attended by nurses. For the remaining years of the war, Anzac Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities.

During the 1920s, Anzac Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the 60,000 Australians who died during the war. The first year in which all the States observed some form of public holiday together on Anzac Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s all the rituals we today associate with the day - dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, sly two-up games - were firmly established as part of Anzac Day culture.

With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day became a day on which to commemorate the lives of Australians lost in that war as well, and in subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include Australians killed in all the military operations in which Australia has been involved.

Anzac Day was first commemorated at the Australian War Memorial in 1942, but due to government orders preventing large public gatherings in case of Japanese air attack, it was a small affair and was neither a march nor a memorial service. Anzac Day has been annually commemorated at the Australian War Memorial ever since.

What does it mean today?

Australians recognise 25 April as an occasion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn, the time of the original landing, across the nation. Later in the day ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war.

Dawn Service

The Dawn Service observed on Anzac Day has its origins in an operational routine which is still observed by the Australian Army today. The half-light of dawn plays tricks with soldiers' eyes and from the earliest times the half-hour or so before dawn, with all its grey, misty shadows, became one of the most favoured times for an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were therefore woken up in the dark, before dawn, so that by the time the first dull grey light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert and manning their weapons. This was, and still is, known as "Stand-to". It was also repeated at sunset.

After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or dawn ceremony became a common form of Anzac Day remembrance during the 1920s; the first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual; in many cases they were restricted to veterans only. The daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers, the dawn service was for old soldiers to remember and reflect among the comrades with whom they shared a special bond. Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to "stand to" and two minutes of silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would play the "Last Post" and then concluded the service with "Reveille". In more recent times the families and young people have been encouraged to take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have seen some of the largest turnouts ever. Reflecting this change, the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings, pipers and rifle volleys. Others, though, have retained the simple format of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.

The Anzac Day ceremony

Each year the commemorations follow a pattern that is familiar to each generation of Australians. A typical Anzac Day service contains the following features: introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, recitation, "The last post", a period of silence, "The rouse" or "The reveille", and the National Anthem. At the Australian War Memorial, following events such as the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services, families often place red poppies beside the names of relatives on the Memorial's Roll of Honour.

[168GRN HPBT 0]

Yeah Fubar it was not very nice, them shutting you down and all that jazz . I wonder what would happen if we shut down topic's on another countries most revered day???

[loopy 0]

Major great poem.

Went to our local sevice

is very sad only one anzac left.

It was nice having a beer with the old boys at the rsl and playing 2 up.

[RedRogue 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Hilandor @ April 25 2002,10:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">yes indeed, that was the one good thing to come from the great wars, was the pulling together of nations for the same cause      off course apart from a certain country  cos they insist in stating it could never have been done without them  etc etc  and the world should be eternally gratefull<span id='postcolor'>

A comment that truely tarnishes the intention of this thread. I would not have expected, especially from a moderator, a open invitation to start a flame war over such a long dragged out beaten a sullied issue. In a thread for the rememberance of those who have answered the greatest calling for their brotheren of all places.

For those who have fallen in service of their countrymen in the Great Wars. Be they Allied or Axis, let us always remember their sacrifices and keep them close to heart so we shall never endure that again.

[Hilandor 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (168GRN HPBT @ April 24 2002,17:22)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yeah Fubar it was not very nice, them shutting you down and all that jazz . I wonder what would happen if we shut down topic's on another countries most revered day???<span id='postcolor'>

no get it right

the reason the second post was closed was because there had already been a tribute post made for anzac day and rather than having multiple posts all over the place, is it not better to have one big tribute, and im sure the moderator that closed that mentioned such a thing when he closed the topic.

I suggest people check what threads are actually on the forum before they start multiple threading the same event etc.

[R. Gerschwarzenge 0]

Yes, I closed the topic with a message linking to this thread. I'm sorry if I have offended some people without any intention to do so.

[second_draw 0]

I think that anzac day is one of the best things things you could give an "anzac" (or any war veteran) solidier. When i see an war veteran i would shake his hand or at least acknowledge him. Receiving a parade every year like you have just come back from another war and then i'm quite proud of being an australian.

b.t.w. Shame i missed posting on anzac day.....

[Guest]

I thought that the Queen's birthday was the most important national occasion in Australia.

[second_draw 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ April 26 2002,12:43)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I thought that the Queen's birthday was the most important national occasion in Australia. <span id='postcolor'>

any public holiday is a good day!

[Major Fubar 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Hilandor @ April 26 2002,12:09)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (168GRN HPBT @ April 24 2002,17:22)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yeah Fubar it was not very nice, them shutting you down and all that jazz . I wonder what would happen if we shut down topic's on another countries most revered day???<span id='postcolor'>

no get it right

the reason the second post was closed was because there had already been a tribute post made for anzac day and rather than having multiple posts all over the place, is it not better to have one big tribute, and im sure the moderator that closed that mentioned such a thing when he closed the topic.

I suggest people check what threads are actually on the forum before they start multiple threading the same event etc.<span id='postcolor'>

#1 I generally do check these things, I simply missed this thread when I posted mine.

#2 Would it really have hurt to have two threads on this? I mean, we have around 12 threads on Blackhawks and another 8 on .50 cal rifles. If I were posting the fourth or fifth Anzac Day thread, fair enough.

My great grandfather (who died several years ago) fought at Galipoli, so this is a fairly personal issue to me. I understand your reasoning as mods for closing down multiple threads about the same topic, but in this case I believe you took it too far. I spent a lot of time on the thread in question, to come back and see it closed down didn't make me very happy.

Anyway, this isn't the place for an argument, so I suggest we all just put it behind us.

[168GRN HPBT 0]

Yes Fubar is correct again

Most Real Australians did have some one in WW1, 1-3 families lost some one in that war, that is why the day is so special for us , My grand farther lost a uncle at the Somme, so as children we hear allot about why and where they died, But apparently Posts on many 50Cal weapons are allowed and more inportant.

This is why I am unhappy

anyway Iam over it ***next***

[loopy 0]

This was in the news today I feel a definatly no no no

How could they have Japs marching with ww2 heroes that could have been tourtured by Japs.

Japanese, Germans unwelcome on Anzac Day

A proposal to allow former Japanese and German soldiers to march in Anzac Day parades has been rejected by political and RSL leaders.

Treasurer Peter Costello said memories of Japanese atrocities were too fresh, while Victorian RSL President Bruce Ruxton declared: "Anyone that was shooting at us doesn't get in."

The Returned and Services League already allows Italians and Turks to march on Anzac Day alongside Australian veterans.

Victorian Liberal upper house MP Carlo Furletti believes it is time to allow more of our former enemies to join the annual marches.

Mr Furletti, who did not return AAP's calls, told the Herald Sun newspaper many Australian migrants fought for the enemy and had now become friends.

"The past is to learn from and the present is to build the future on," he said.

But the prospect of Australians marching alongside former foes - particularly the Japanese - appeared remote.

Mr Costello said it would be inappropriate for Japanese to march on Anzac Day.

"I think the memories are far too fresh of the atrocities," he told ABC radio.

"The World War II generation that we honour here wouldn't want that and I can't imagine that it would add to the day."

Opposition Leader Simon Crean said the plan was inappropriate now, but may be considered in the future.

"It's something of course that would need to be properly considered, particularly by the RSL, but I don't think it's an appropriate occasion for (German and Japanese ex-servicemen) to be involved on Anzac Day," he said.

Mr Crean said the involvement of Italian and Turkish ex-servicemen in Anzac Day parades reflected a different type of reconciliation.

Mr Ruxton said allowing former Japanese soldiers to march in the parades would signal the end of Anzac Day.

"We don't want to see Japanese, I can tell you that right now, never.

"Contentious or not, no Japanese in the march."

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and Opposition Leader Denis Napthine said the decision about who did and did not march was up to the RSL.

But Dr Napthine said he personally believed it was inappropriate at this stage for our former enemies from World War II to march alongside Anzac heroes.

[168GRN HPBT 0]

ANZAC day is for the Diggers , if the WW1-2 (&nam)vets don't want them in the march then they should not be in it.

Its that simple, and after they are all gone it should be Kept that way.