Lest we forget

It has been said that when one leaves their country of birth for a significant time, that something of one's identity is lost. This is true of me to an extent. I am not as one eye an Australian as I used to be. I like to think of myself as a more "refined" Australian. I may be "75% of the Australian I once was", and have picked up a fair slice of Canadian, Russian and Siberian identity along the way. I like to think that this makes me "150% person" now. I also think however that my Australian identity has been enriched by my time outside. I have questioned what it means to be Australian, and have answered this question a little. My answer is many things. Part of my answer came from the first part of 2007. I was reflecting on the ANZAC story and what it means to my Australian identity. I was struck to the heart when I realised that God's love is displayed in a powerful way through the story of ANZAC. Have a read of this here: The gospel in my heart language. These reflections were built upon significantly after my first pilgrimage to Gallipoli (I intend to return some day), in April 2007. Many photos of that trip can be found on this blog.

So it is natural that I would want to attend the Dawn Service at the shrine of remembrance this year. (I held one at the beach in Kumburgaz, Turkey in 2007). This would be my first Dawn service in Australia.

The service was moving and memorable. It was attended by 38,000 people. (The figure of 35,000 in 2007 was a record then.) Mike and I managed to get fairly close to the front after arriving at 5:10 am. There was a 20 minute lead up to the service, with stories of soldiers past. The service itself ran from 6am to 6:30am. While there were no direct calls on God, I was pleasantly happy that the myth is strong. The stone with the enscription "Greater love hath no man" was highlighted. There were various hymns that pointed to God. The most moving part of the service was during a rendtion of the hymn "Abide with me." After a couple of lines from the choir, the music drifted and went awry, which was followed by gun shots (with flares in the dawn light). This was dramatic and unnerving. It drove home the reality of the deaths of the soldiers.

In all wars fought by Australians, around 100,000 have given their lives. This may not compare to other nations, but it is a significant number for our tiny country. Some may argue against the Gallipoli legend (they are too academic for their own good, and perhaps they are reasoning against any seed of God's love in our society), but it must be remembered that over 5500 Australians died in one day on April 25th, 1915. This is still the single greatest tragedy that Australia has faced. So why on earth should we forget their sacrifice? We should not. We should indeed carry their legacy on. As believers we should then also hold high the legacy of Jesus' sacrifice.


The Shrine of Remembrance (unveiled in 1934 to remember world war 1), in Melbourne, where the Dawn Service was held.


The Eternal Flame.


After the service the Victoria Barracks put on a "Gunfire breakfast." This old Digger apologised profusely for not having his chin strap on. His mates gave him heck about it. He explained that it was easier to eat his breakfast that way. Who was I to argue? I simply thanked him for his service. His active overseas duty was in PNG in 1969.


The Cenotaph



One great tradition on ANZAC day is to play a game of "Two Up" in the pub. "Two Up" is only legal on ANZAC day. I haven't yet done this and will have to one year. Another great tradition is of course the footy. It must be mentioned that until 1959 no footy was played on ANZAC day, until an act of parliament allowed it in 1960. Since the mid 1990s, Essendon and Collingwood have drawn crowds of 90,000 plus each year on ANZAC day. There is a lesser tradition at the VFL level between the Box Hill Hawks and the Coburg Tigers (each affiliated with their AFL name sake). I became enamoured by the nostalgic suburban atmosphere at Geelong a few weeks back, and wanted to experience it again. I went to this game instead of the Richmond Tigers AFL game in the evening, as a protest for their performance. It seems my protest worked, Richmond won, but Coburg did not.