ANZAC Day

Next week, on Thursday, is ANZAC Day.

The day itself is the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings in 1915 - 98 years ago now. While the Gallipoli campain was a military debarcle, it brought together the Australian people for the first time since federation into one body. The spirit of those troops, embodied in courage, determination and 'mateship' came to become part of the psyche of the new nation.

On ANZAC Day we stop to remember and reflect on all those that have served our country in war and peace. We think of the veterans, the service personnel and those that have loved and lost them.

Our Corps continues to support ANZAC Day by serving breakfast to the thousands at the Glenelg dawn service and by providing the musical support for the Brighton dawn service. Look out for our musicians and our service teams.

The dawn services of ANZAC Day have their origins in a soldier's routine still observed in the Army today. The half-light of dawn can play tricks on a soldier's eyes and so it became a favourite time for enemy attacks. Soldeirs in defensive positions were therefore woken up in the dark, before dawn, so that by the time the first grey light crept across a battlefield they were awake, alert and ready at their weapons. This stance, known as 'stand to' was repeated at sunset.

After WW1, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landings at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to, or ceremony, became the common form of ANZAC Day remembrance during the 1920s.

Maybe, if you haven't been before, this year you could attend your local dawn service. They do not celebrate war - far from it - they commemorate the fallen and affirm the pursuit of peace. They celebrate courage and comradeship while thanking those that have served our people. There are also public prayers for peace and for our nation.

Check out the RSL website for times and locations around the state:
http://www.rslsa.org.au/customdata/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_main&ItemID=2488&OrgID=1113&count=1

Brighton Dawn Service: Arch of Remembrance, Brighton Jetty, April 25 at 6 am
Glenelg Dawn Service: Moseley Square, Glenelg, April 25 at 6 am