Mark's Blog: ANZAC Day

Eric Bogle: 'The Band Played Waltzing Matlida'

ANZAC Day - 25th April - is arguably Australia's most important national day.

The ANZACs were the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. The day is a public holiday marked in both countries by services and acts of remembrance - and that very Australian pastime: all day drinking. It is also the only day in the year when playing "2-Up" - a betting game involving two coins and a group of people with money to burn - is legal in Australian pubs.

The Australian War Memorial website explains perfectly the origins of ANZAC Day:

Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 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 in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman 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 had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

Retrieved from The Australian War Memorial website: http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp

Here is Luke O'Shea (yes, Australian country music legend and RE teacher) and Medicine Wheel performing 'Ragged Bloody Heroes', about ANZAC Day: