- Samuel's Blog - https://samuelgordonstewart.com -

ANZAC Day

Today is ANZAC Day, those of you within the countries that commemorate ANZAC Day will be well aware of its importance. Those of you who don’t might like to read the Wikipedia article about ANZAC Day [1].

I think the best way to briefly summarise what ANZAC Day is about is to bring you the opening paragraph of the Wikipedia article:

Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZAC Day public holiday on the 25th of April every year to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), and of all those who served their country.

The poem “For The Fallen” (circa 1914) by Laurence Binyon is very appropriate for this occasion, and the fourth verse is usually read during ANZAC Day services.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

May you all have a solemn and dignified ANZAC Day.

Update (11:07PM): Chuck A. Spear has sent in some photos of the dawn service in Melbourne. (Captions provided by Chuck)

Weary Dunlop. Looking fresh at 7am.
Melbourne 2006 ANZAC Day Dawn Service
Dawn Service @ Shrine of Rememberance.
Melbourne 2006 ANZAC Day Dawn Service
On my way to Gunfire Breakfast at Governor Generals.
Melbourne 2006 ANZAC Day Dawn Service
Senator Stephen Fielding from Family First doing a video blog. I kept interrupting him so he had to start over about ten times.
Melbourne 2006 ANZAC Day Dawn Service

Samuel

Comments Disabled (Open | Close)

Comments Disabled To "ANZAC Day"

#1 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 2:34 am

Well I will be awake at the sparrows fart to go to Dawn Service in Melbourne. Would you like me to take a photo for you Samuel?

#2 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 3:29 am

I will be reciting a poem I learnt in year 10 literature class. It is by Wilfred Owen and called ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime…
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, –
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

#3 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 3:32 am

Wilfred Owen died seven days before the end of WW1.

#4 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 3:35 am

This poem is called ‘Futility’. It is also by the war poet Wilfred Owen.

Futility.

Move him into the sun –
Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France,
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds, –
Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.
Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved, – still warm, – too hard to stir?
Was it for this the clay grew tall?
– O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth’s sleep at all?

#5 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 10:04 am

Thanks for that Chuck. I was moved by Wilfred’s words.

#6 Comment By wonko the sane On April 25, 2006 @ 1:12 pm

Touching words indeed. I remember studying the Poet Owen in high school. Here in Japan there is no remembrance day for their war dead. Not all Japanese soldiers were barborous war criminals, and I think its a shame kids can’t reflect on the country’s loss of so many young men, and the futility of war, like we do in Australia.

#7 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 6:47 pm

It seems that a certain evil pompous loony woman has done a Skase.

#8 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 6:47 pm

It’s like reading the death notices over there.

#9 Comment By Samuel On April 25, 2006 @ 7:13 pm

Oh my…Caz is giving up blogging…more or less. [2]

#10 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 7:42 pm

This is when the ‘grasshopper becomes the master’. Glad to see that they are trying to deflect some blows onto a person with red hair.

#11 Comment By mark On April 25, 2006 @ 8:48 pm

It says a hell of a lot that the sentiment that you think ANZAC Day is about is the naïve twaddle produced by people before the horrors of mechanised warfare became clear, which were brought home to Australians for the first time at ANZAC Cove.

#12 Comment By Samuel On April 25, 2006 @ 9:01 pm

Mark, could you clarify who that comment is aimed at please?

#13 Comment By wonko the sane On April 25, 2006 @ 9:55 pm

I reckon the site was going downhill anyway Chuck. Struggling for content beyond trawling people’s blogs and bashing dumb kids. Easy targets.

#14 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 11:11 pm

Yeah well the proverbial has hit the fan over there. Lest We Forget. No loss.
Thanks for putting the photos up Samuel. I hope your readers enjoy them. The service was great and very moving.

#15 Comment By Samuel On April 25, 2006 @ 11:13 pm

No problems Chuck, thanks for sending them in.

I do have a small request though, and this involves everyone, can we keep the discussion about Caz and TSSH over in the [3] article from here on please?

I would really appreciate it.

#16 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 25, 2006 @ 11:35 pm

No probs hombre.

#17 Comment By wonko the sane On April 26, 2006 @ 1:22 am

Nice shots Chuck. Did you have a game of two-up?

#18 Comment By Chuck A. Spear On April 28, 2006 @ 12:07 am

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to play two-up. As you can see I was too busy taking extremely professional photographs.