Australia is a relatively youthful nation, having officially become a country less than 250 years ago. However, it hasn’t been excluded from being involved in war. The country itself has never been the subject of an attack or invasion, due in part to its size and somewhat isolated location on the planet. On the other hand, Australian soldiers have featured a lot in overseas campaigns to assist Allied forces, throughout Australian history.
The most notable campaign that Australian soldiers were involved in was an attack on a Turkish cove in World War I. A significant number of Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) soldiers joined other Allies to launch the assault. It turned out to be an ill-fated campaign, which resulted in the loss of thousands of ANZAC soldiers’ lives. The rough terrain and the well-prepared Turkish forces worked together to produce a bloodbath from the moment of the ANZAC soldiers’ arrival on Turkish soil.
In the aftermath of the survivors’ return to home soil, April 25th became a public holiday known as ANZAC Day, to commemorate the anniversary of the campaign’s launch. Public reaction to the day has varied throughout history thereafter, from the reverence of ANZAC Day parades held in major cities, and the observation of a minute’s silence during the school day, to diminishing interest in the occasion in the 1960s and 70s.
Moreover, the day has become mixed up in controversy arising from the nature of the occasion itself. There has been an increasing amount of public distrust and active hostility towards the day itself, questioning whether an ill-fated campaign should be the subject of a commemoration at all. Does the occasion amount to a glorification of war, and does it do harm to the memory of the young men who died?
Regardless of one’s position on this issue, there has been a revival of interest and participation in ANZAC Day since the 1990s. The traditional dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne is now attended by packed crowds, including significant numbers of the younger generation. In addition, large numbers of Australians now make the annual journey to Gallipoli to attend a service. However, this has attracted further controversy, because it is unclear whether members of the younger generation understand the true meaning of the day, or whether they are simply displaying uneducated patriotism. Some of the behavior of participants has left a lot to be desired, with large amounts of garbage being left behind after the service in Gallipoli in 2005.
Personally, the first thing I think of when I think of ANZAC Day is the song “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, which we were introduced to in elementary school. The lyrics convey the raw emotions of the events of the day and its aftermath with tremendous sadness. The public’s struggle to find a place for the day in Australian culture is a reflection of the difficult growth that the nation has gone through over the past two centuries. The ideal balance may lie somewhere between the lessons of the past and the uncertainty of the future.
Ming
Vocabulary
ill-fated (adjective) – not lucky and ending sadly, especially in death or failure
terrain (noun) – used to refer to an area of land when you are mentioning its natural features, for example, if it is rough, flat, etc.
reverence (noun) – a feeling of admiring and respecting somebody/something very much
glorification (noun) – the act of making something seem better or more important than it really is
patriotism (noun) – love of your country and the desire to defend it
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