ANZAC Day

Posted at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, April 25, 2007

April 25 is ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps," and the day is a memorial day for all Australian soldiers who have died in combat. In this decidedly secular nation, ANZAC Day is the closest thing I've seen to a holy day. Although Americans as a general rule are more inclined to expressions of patriotism, Australians take this one day of the year extremely seriously, and it is observed far more widely than Memorial Day is in the United States. The historic events leading to the creation of ANZAC Day are crucial for Australia's understanding of itself. Rather than trying to paraphrase them myself, I'm going to quote shamelessly from Wikipedia's article about ANZAC Day:

"When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only thirteen years, and the new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The plan was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war. Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and their future."

So there you have it: World War I, including the Gallipoli campaign, was both a triumph and a tragedy for Australia. A triumph, because the Diggers (Australian soldiers) proved themselves through extraordinary service. A tragedy, because 60,000 Australian soldiers lost their lives at a time when the population of the entire country was only 5,000,000. Even ninety years later, when all those who fought in that war are dead, the memory of Australia's sacrifice in the Great War resonates powerfully. A large number of Diggers distinguished themselves in World War II as well, and their contribution was celebrated in large parades held around the country. We did not see the Adelaide parade live but did watch it on TV, and it was quite stirring to see these frail but proud men and women march down King William Road under the banners of the divisions in which they served.

One way you can tell that a holiday has made the transition into a sacred occasion is how seriously the citizens treat the rites associated with the day. ANZAC Day traditionally opens with sunrise services held at war memorials around the country. Kevin Rudd, the newly-annointed leader of the opposition Australian Labor Party, has been Australia's golden boy since he was voted to his position several months ago. But his stellar ratings have been damaged somewhat by the discovery that he was planning to stage a sunrise service at a time other than sunrise. He is currently in Vietnam in solidarity with Australia's Vietnam Veterans, and his publicist thought it would be a good idea to have the sunrise service at 4:00 a.m. to correspond with Australia's sunrise at 7:00 a.m. Nobody thinks it's a good idea now that veterans have voiced their outrage at the plan. A sunrise service has to happen at sunrise!

What did we do for ANZAC day? I think we were fairly typical Australians on this day. After the TV broadcast, we piled off to see the brand new film Elephant Tales, which is currently screening only in the Adelaide metropolitan area. I thought that was pretty neat, and although the movie's story was fairly unbelievable, I enjoyed the novelty of watching a film that has not yet reached the rest of the world. After the film, we along with thousands of others went down to the beach to enjoy what will hopefully be the last dry sunny day for a while. Rain is due tonight and through the weekend. I'll miss the sunshine, but if we can have an inch of rain by Monday, I'll be delighted to make the sacrifice. Happy ANZAC Day to all!