 |
| Anzac Cove....2015 |
 |
| Dawn Service, Elephant Rock, Currumbin, Gold Coast |
 |
| Villers-Bretonneux Cemetery |
 |
| Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
May we never, ever
forget the brave men and women of our Australian Defence Force…past and present…and
future….
May we also
forever honour and hold dear to our hearts those who have stood beside us - our
revered neighbour across the Tasman Sea - New Zealand.
Present and future
generations of Aussies must always, unreservedly, be grateful to the members of
our ADF – the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air
Force - for their service; for the selfless sacrifices they’ve made, and will
continue making…ad infinitum.
Those in our ADF
have my absolute admiration. They always
have….my respectful admiration will never cease as long as I live….
When my late
brother and I were children we created wreaths with chrysanthemums and other
flowers from our garden to place on Gympie’s Memorial Gates in honour of Anzac
Day. With our grandmother and mother by our
sides we attended Anzac Day services.
.
Anzac Day I treat with
devout reverence. It is our national day filled with raw emotion and pride. Up until a couple of years ago I physically
attended our mountain Dawn Service. Although
I no longer attend the Service in person, within my four walls I continue my long-held
tradition.
From 4.30 am forth
I’m glued to my television screen. A
fitting start to the special, sombre day of respectful remembrance is the
Currumbin RSL Dawn Service at Elephant Rock, followed by full coverage of
various commemorative events throughout Australia, which includes Brisbane’s
stirring Anzac Day Parade; continuing through to Gallipoli Cove’s Dawn Service;
culminating with the venerating Dawn Service at the Australian National
Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux – the French town re-captured by two Australian
brigades and a British brigade from 24th to 27th April,
1918, after the Battles of the Somme.
My brother
Graham’s and my father, and our uncle, our mother’s younger brother, were the
best of mates when they were a couple of brash, strapping, knock-about lads.
Together they
joined the army. Side by side, they served our country during the Second
World War.
Our maternal
grandfather was an air-raid warden in Rockhampton. In the back yard of their home in Elphinstone
Street, North Rockhampton was an air-raid shelter. Nearby neighbours huddled together
therein many times.
During WWll Camp
Rockhampton was a large US Military camp. It spread across a vast area of
Rockhampton – 22 areas in total. One of our father’s sisters married a US
soldier. The couple settled in the United States where their raised their
family. I have photos of my father and
my uncle proudly attired in their uniforms. Two fit, handsome young men at the
time – both have since passed away.
The son of long-standing,
dear friends holds the rank of Major in our Australian Defence Force. He has seen action in Afghanistan and in the
Middle East. I swell with pride when thinking of him. In saying that, I can’t begin to understand the
depth of pride his parents feel about their son. I can’t imagine his parents’ concern when he
was overseas amidst the arenas of war. I
can’t begin to imagine what any parent feels when their child is among the
mayhem and uncertainties of battlefields.
From 1976 through
to the early 80s I had the good fortune to call the now late David Hackworth,
author, military journalist and former United States Army colonel a friend. David was decorated in both the Korean and
Vietnam Wars. He earned over 90 US and foreign military awards.
After returning to
the U.S in the mid-80s David began working for “Newsweek” as a contributing editor on defense issues. He also made regular television appearances to
discuss various military-related topics, including the psychological effects of
post-traumatic stress disorder.
David was a humble
man - one who never boasted about his achievements, or the number of medals
bestowed upon him. A fine, intelligent
man, he had a contagious sense of humour. Generously, he shared his love of fun with
those around him. Those whose company he
enjoyed. He didn’t suffer fools…not even
easily.
Sadly, David
passed away in 2005, aged 74. He and I
shared the same birth date…11th November…Armistice Day. David is interred at Arlington Military
Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.
The brave men and
women of our Australian Defence Force, and those of our Allies, deserve our
inexhaustible respect.
Members of our ADF
make sacrifices, as do their loved ones; sacrifices most of us could not
imagine in our wildest nightmares.
Lest We Forget….
Very thoughtful post, Lee. I don't blame you for getting up very early to watch the ceremonies on TV, I would do the same thing. Great honor to those who have served.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kay.
DeleteSadly we do forget in too many ways that matter. We honour them on Anzac Day - but the support for them for the rest of the year is insufficient. We lose more our our veterans and those still serving in suicide than we do in war. MUCH more support is needed for them and for their families. I would much rather see the multiple millions earmarked for new buildings at the War Memorial go directly to the veterans and their families.
ReplyDeleteThere are imbalances and injustices everywhere, EC...far too many.
DeleteI don't know the percentages of suicides...suicides from PTS...but in WW1 alone 60,000 Australians died in battle....that's an horrendous figure...and the numbers increase as every year and every battle go by.
Man is incapable of living in peace...sadly...
Thanks for coming by.
Our daughter is an army medic, and everyone who serves or has served has my utmost respect and thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou must be very proud of your daughter, messymimi...and rightly so. She has my utmost respect and thanks, too.
DeleteThank you for coming by.
these new updates to the computer are giving me grief, had a whole comment and I left my cursor somewhere and it closed the whole ap; the Elephant Rock service looks poignant; much of the time our servicemen here are neglected as well; we have veterans groups and our President is doing much for those who serve but there is always room for more. when dh came back from vietnam he and those along with him were spit upon at the airport, a fight ensued and the police broke it up, the war wasn't their fault but they took the brunt of the protests from many, sad. Nice to see your country has its solemn solutes to those who give so much.
ReplyDeleteHello, Linda....there is always so much more to be done. The best thing of all - the best that could happen - would be in the future only our remembrance and gratitude of past bravery and sacrifices were needed and upheld....because in the future humans finally learned to live in peaceful harmony.
DeleteI am a dreamer....I know...but what a dream it is...and how wonderful it would be if it were to come true.
Thanks for coming by. Our Anzac Day is a special national day of remembrance and gratitude....of our service men and women of this country and New Zealand...and of all our allies who we're proud to stand beside and have stand with us.
Excellent post, Lee. We should always remember the bravery of so many who risked their lives for the love of their country. They are heroes. However, we, especially here in the US, should not be sending our young people off to so many endless wars. In my long life, I can never remember a time when we were not involved in a hellish debacle somewhere. Our young men and women come back maimed physically and mentally and the toll is great.
ReplyDeleteArleen...Those who serve and have served our respective countries...those deployed in battlefields throughout the years to protect democracy...our freedom to be...deserve our respect and support.
DeleteSadly, war is a way of human life. There is so much hate, injustice, suspicion and prejudice - there always has been, and unfortunately, always will be. Will we ever learn...I doubt it very much...
Thank you for coming by.
Nice work and a little personal and fitting remembrance. I read today about a mother in South Australia during WWI who had four sons fighting in Europe and she lost three of them in one night in the same battle. Unimaginable.
ReplyDeleteNot really amusing but I've seen today people getting Lest we Forget wrong on Twitter, with people writing Less we Forget. How did that happen?
In answer to your latter comment, Andrew, it's because there are some among us who know no better. There are some who have no idea what goes on in the real world - or what has occurred in the past. Their heads are buried in their mobile phones and other similar devices playing games,etc., and talking in shorthand version of words. They'd not be able to handwrite a letter, let alone know the correct spelling of half, if not more than half, of the words therein.
DeleteThere were many, many heartwarming, heartbreaking, incredible stories of heroism and sorrow told throughout the day; unbelievable feats of bravery.
Most of today - from shortly before 4.20 am forth, I spent in tears, as well as being held in absolute awe over the stories related. And, there are still so many stores yet to be told.
A lady...102 years old....was in one of the marches. She was not marching, but being driven in one of the jeeps. She worked in signals during WW11. How amazing she is...and a man marching...aged 100...and another 93 or 95...he goes for a jog every day! One elderly veteran in a wheelchair who partook in the Brisbane parade was so determined - nothing was going to stop him. When he passed the area where some of the Defence Force hierarchy stood, along with Qld's Governor, Premier and other dignitaries, the elderly ex-serviceman got out of his wheelchair, and he saluted as he proudly walked the short distance past that particular area of the course.
I hope those who wrote "Less We Forget"...witnessed that elderly gentleman's example of dignity, determination and valour today.
Sorry...I got a bit carried away! Thanks for coming by. :)
I can't EVEN begin to imagine what they lived through... :o(
ReplyDeletehughugs
Me, neither, Donna. You see people scurrying hurriedly for if a light shower of rain falls. What our troops have gone through and go through is beyond one's imagination.
DeleteHow wonderful it would be if we never had to try to imagine ever again....
Thanks for coming by.
An excellent post.
ReplyDeleteWe have been seeing news coverage of ANZAC day remembrance services here in the UK.
All the best Jan
Hey Jan...It is an important, solemn day for us here in Australia and our mates across The Ditch...our fellow Anzacs...the New Zealanders. And for those who still hold us Aussies in good stead along the Western Front...
DeleteThanks for coming by.
I've been to Arlington. Very moving to see the rows of grave markers honoring those who served our country. Even more moving was visiting the grave of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard there. Every country should honor its soldiers like they do in your country. I'm curious as to the flowers (I believe) that are flowing from Elephant Rock.
ReplyDeleteG'Day, Dave...I visited the War Memorial in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea when I was on a business trip back in the mid-80s. It was beautifully maintained...and a very solemn, deep emotional moment in time.
DeleteThe site below will explain the red poppies. I always buy red poppies (artificial ones) from a stand set up by the RSL (Returned Soldiers' League) each year just before Anzac Day...and a badge.
https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/customs-and-ceremony/poppies
Red poppies. The Flanders poppy has long been a part of Remembrance Day, the ritual that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and is also increasingly being used as part of Anzac Day observances. ... In soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground.
Thanks for coming by. :)
Your post is a very fine tribute to ANZAC commemoration!
ReplyDeleteI once left a comment on your blog mentioning the ANZAC memorial in the south of Israel. I visited there in March 2017, and wrote a post on my blog about it and about the fields of poppies in the region.
Yes, DUTA...I do remember your comment re the Anzac Memorial in Israel, and your visit. Such memorials and visits create many deep emotions. And I thank you for doing so, on behalf of all who fight for; have fought for, and will continue fighting for the freedoms humans should be accustomed to...should be allowed to enjoy life within a democratic society...in your country, ours and throughout the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by. :)
A passionate tribute to those who gave everything for our tomorrow. I don't know why but I thought of you going into a school on Tamborine Mountain to speak to children about the importance of ANZAC Day...a sobering lesson they would surely never forget.
ReplyDeleteG;day, Yorkie...there are people more qualified to speak to the school children than I am; and they do so...each year. The kiddies, from a young age, are taught about the history of the importance of Anzac Day; and they, the children, participate in various services in honour of the day.
DeleteThanks for coming by. :)
Well said. You honor this day and if you didn't I would never be aware of Anzac Day, Australian Defence Force, etc. You are a patriot.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Annie. I love my country and am proud of and thankful for those who seek to keep it safe...give their all... :)
Delete