My Last Story for Anzac Day 2007

I had moved to this address in October 2005 and just on
dawn April 25th, 2006 I was awoken by a band and the
sounds of many people talking.
Struggling out of bed I went to the front door to see a band
passing by followed by perhaps 200 people. I dressed and
followed the crowd. They walked up to a nearby park and
here was held the local dawn service for Anzac Day.
Later on I spoke to my next door neighbours and was told
that this was a yearly occurrence.
This year I was prepared and I took three photos of the
passing parade.
I didn’t think it was appropriate to take any photos at this
solemn service.

What is ANZAC Day?

ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important
national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major
military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces
during the First World War.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs
and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Why is this day so special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a Federal
Commonwealth for only fourteen years. 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 Constantinople (now 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
stroke 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 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.