so glad I did today. The Dawn Service for ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) started at 5:45 at the Shrine of Remembrance in downtown Melbourne. We took the train in from the suburbs thinking parking would probably be hard to come by. The trains were pretty full with families, young people and veterans in uniform. We were all in stark contrast with the groups of sweaty "out all night" clubbers getting on the train to go home. I thought there would be a few people, maybe a couple hundred, but I started to realize I may have significantly underestimated the attendance walking over to the park where the Shrine stands. There were p
eople everywhere. We all walked up a tree lined pathway towards the Shrine as the sun started to come up behind it. During the service fallen veterans from many various battles were recognized from WWI thru to Iraq. Two national anthems were sung, God Save The Queen and Australia's new anthem as of 1984, Advance Australia Fair, along with the bugle call The Last Post. After the ceremony people laid wreaths inside the Shrine and around the Eternal Flame. The wreaths are often made of rosemary and many people were also wearing sprigs of this ancient symbol of remembrance. Rosemary is believed to help improve the memory and is particularly significant to Australians since it grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.We went for breakfast then back to see the parade which was headed up by men dr
essed in the tradition of The Australian Lighthorse Regiment of WWI. I was eavesdropping on a lady a few people down and she was telling a photographer the man on the white horse was somehow connected to John Monash (famous General from WWI who is pictured on Australia's $100 bill) but I couldn't quite catch exactly what she was saying.
essed in the tradition of The Australian Lighthorse Regiment of WWI. I was eavesdropping on a lady a few people down and she was telling a photographer the man on the white horse was somehow connected to John Monash (famous General from WWI who is pictured on Australia's $100 bill) but I couldn't quite catch exactly what she was saying. The
people who came next actually made me kind of embarrassed in my lack of knowledge in my own family. Veterans and descendants of veterans all lined up to march behind banners listing specific battalions, wearing medals and carrying photos. I know my Uncle served in Korea and my Grandfather in WWII but I couldn't even begin to guess at what they did, where they were stationed or what unit they served in. There were multiple generations present even a baby who couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. There was a young guy with dread locks and tattoos helping along a well decorated elderly veteran I can only assume was his grandfather. There were bikers, scouts, families, teenagers, all kinds of people. The amount of pride and appreciation displayed by the Australian people was overwhelming. According to the news over 40,000 people came to the Shrine in Melbourne, 30,000 in Canberra, 30,000 people in Perth, 20,000 in Auckland. Thousands of people made the pilgrimage to Gallipoli on the 93rd anniversary of the 1915 landings, the start of the ANZAC Day tradition. In Sydney, to a crowd of over 15,000, Major General Mark Kelly said that Anzac Day was a day for all Australians. "Regardless of religion, racial background, or even place of birth, we gather not to glorify war, but to remind ourselves that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess, and to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who contributed so much in shaping the identity of this proud nation."
people who came next actually made me kind of embarrassed in my lack of knowledge in my own family. Veterans and descendants of veterans all lined up to march behind banners listing specific battalions, wearing medals and carrying photos. I know my Uncle served in Korea and my Grandfather in WWII but I couldn't even begin to guess at what they did, where they were stationed or what unit they served in. There were multiple generations present even a baby who couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. There was a young guy with dread locks and tattoos helping along a well decorated elderly veteran I can only assume was his grandfather. There were bikers, scouts, families, teenagers, all kinds of people. The amount of pride and appreciation displayed by the Australian people was overwhelming. According to the news over 40,000 people came to the Shrine in Melbourne, 30,000 in Canberra, 30,000 people in Perth, 20,000 in Auckland. Thousands of people made the pilgrimage to Gallipoli on the 93rd anniversary of the 1915 landings, the start of the ANZAC Day tradition. In Sydney, to a crowd of over 15,000, Major General Mark Kelly said that Anzac Day was a day for all Australians. "Regardless of religion, racial background, or even place of birth, we gather not to glorify war, but to remind ourselves that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess, and to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who contributed so much in shaping the identity of this proud nation." 
