Uh, is that April 24th? We commemorate the day over here in Gallipoli as well, more or less about why the fuck Oceania people perished so far away from their home, for a fight that’s not theirs. Also the poor anatolian/mesopotamian Ottoman soldiers, defending a land they only can learn about when they’re conscripted.
This is exactly why they celebrate it as well.
The pointless sacrifice at the other end of the world made them realize they weren’t British any more. It’s usually considered as a beginning of separate Australian and NZ national identity (political independence took some decades more)
We were on a Mediterranean cruise one year when we noticed there were a lot of Aussies on board. They were lots of fun and we didn’t realize until a few days in that they all wanted to pass Gallipoli for the April 25 commemoration. Met a bunch of middle aged men and women and their families who all had ancestors who were part of that famous and memorable campaign. It was eerie to sail past that area knowing that so many ancient battles were fought there and a modern one with descendents visiting this place.
I don’t drink (which the Aussies laughed about) and I could only toast with a glass of orange juice but I was more than happy to make friends with them and share me story of my grandfathers who fought in the same war but stationed in England and France.
ANZAC Day. A pact between Australia and New Zealand as part of WW1.
We spend it like every other holiday, getting drunk. But we also play two ups, as it is the only day in the year we can.
Uh, is that April 24th? We commemorate the day over here in Gallipoli as well, more or less about why the fuck Oceania people perished so far away from their home, for a fight that’s not theirs. Also the poor anatolian/mesopotamian Ottoman soldiers, defending a land they only can learn about when they’re conscripted.
This is exactly why they celebrate it as well. The pointless sacrifice at the other end of the world made them realize they weren’t British any more. It’s usually considered as a beginning of separate Australian and NZ national identity (political independence took some decades more)
We were on a Mediterranean cruise one year when we noticed there were a lot of Aussies on board. They were lots of fun and we didn’t realize until a few days in that they all wanted to pass Gallipoli for the April 25 commemoration. Met a bunch of middle aged men and women and their families who all had ancestors who were part of that famous and memorable campaign. It was eerie to sail past that area knowing that so many ancient battles were fought there and a modern one with descendents visiting this place.
I don’t drink (which the Aussies laughed about) and I could only toast with a glass of orange juice but I was more than happy to make friends with them and share me story of my grandfathers who fought in the same war but stationed in England and France.
I honor that day by listening to The Band Played Waltzing Matilda and weeping.
And on Veterans Day I listen to Green Fields of France and weep.