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ANZAC Day: 25 April 2005 - 90th Anniversary of the Landing at Gallipoli

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Well in just a few days, another ANZAC Day will be upon us, and this one marks 90 years since the ANZACs landed on Gallipoli. On that morning of the 15th of April, 1915 the legend of ANZAC was born, and the torch since then has been passed to generation after generation. Again in 2005, Australia and her Allies are in harms way. Another 450 Aussie troops have recently arrived in a loc south of Baghdad, and in the irony of it all, protecting Japanese SDF Engineers.

Wanna know more? Try www.anzacday.org.au

This year I have been invited to a small outback town by the guest of honour and flag bearer for Winton's local ANZAC commemorations. The town is located well on the other side of Longreach and is called Winton. Its famous for LBJ's B-24 Liberator Bomber crash back in WWII, and where Banjo Patterson wrote Waltzing Matilda. Its about 20 hrs northwest of Brisbane by coach. I leave at 1700hrs today, arriving about 0830 tomorow morning. We leave back to the world on Tues at 1330 and get into Bris-Vegas sometime after 0800 Wednesday, and then direct to the unit for PT (oh joy).

It should be an interesting time had by all. I am sure the amber nectar will flow and there will be many games of '2 Up'. I hope I am not too 'self inflicted' for Wednesday's PT session. At least we'll have 20 hrs in the back of a 'bone shaker' to lick our XXXX related wounds.

Meanwhile on ANZAC Cove at Gallipoli in Turkey, an estimated 20,000+ Aussies will be there for the Dawn Service on the 25th, including the PM, John Howard. Sadly the Government is warning Australians of a potential terrorist threat, try www.dfat.gov.au. How times have changed, but this still will NOT stop Australians, Kiwis, and the English for visiting the site where there Grandfathers, and Great Grandfathers made history.


Regards,

Wes
 
"...We sailed off to Gallipoli.

And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water.
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk he was waiting, he primed himself well,
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell,
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell,
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.
   
But the band played Waltzing Matilda,
As we stopped to bury our slain.
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again..."


A big  :salute: to our Aussie bretheren down under.
 
Agreed! The exploits of the diggers on Lone Pine, to me, ranks as one of the most heroic actions of the 20th centrury. Too bad it is little known outside of Australasia. My maternal grandmother had a brother who got it at Gallipoli with the DCLI and I am proud to possess his medals which she bequeathed to me back in 1977. On a side note however, it pisses me off to no end  to see that that wheras the ANZACS are acclaimed ith the respect they deserve, British units are usually dismissed as a bunch of also-rans who sat on the beach and drank tea, while letting the "colonials" get slaughtered.
 
These are two pics that I have had on my drive,  I fell that were beautiful commemorations of that terrible day.

dileas

tess

 
My Regiment (Royal Newfoundland Regiment) is the only North American unit with Gallipoli battle honours. We had a parade today retracing the steps our soldiers took before deploying.
 
Bugles sang, surrounding the evening air,
and bugles answered, sorrowful to hear.

Vouces of boys were by the river-side.
Sleep mothered them; and left the twilight sad.
The shadow of the morrow weighed on men.

Voices of old despondency resigned,
Bowed by the shadow of the morrow, slept.

The monstrous anger of our taciturn guns.
The majesty of the insults of their mouths. :(



From: Wilfred Owen 'Poems of War'
 
I had the immense priviledge of attending ANZAC day in Sydney 2001. Amazing - we should treat our vets and celebrate remembrance day like this! Very very moving. My wife and I were awestruck. (I saw a 6 story high "lest we forget" banner on a building - it was huge!)

To all diggers and Aussies out there - happy Anzac day!

 
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