Im posting this a few hours earlier than I normally do every year as tomorrow I will be away from the HAMB so here we go.... April 25 is ANZAC DAY - it arguably is the most important day in the Australian calendar. For me personally and so many Australians and Kiwis all over the world.... Tomorrow morning we will reflect what it means to be Australian and and New Zealanders. What it means to be able to live in a country of relative peace and tolerance. What it means to be able to worship what/who we want, have our own political beliefs, come and go relatively easily. Oh, and BUILD and DRIVE the hot rods the we love !! We remember the loyalty, mateship, resourcefulness, endurance and sacrifice and the unique Australian character "of a fair go" that was forged on the killing fields of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We as a nation have served proudly from the Boer War right through to Afghanistan and the proud tradition continues. Relative freedom does not come cheap - we face challenges now that we must be vigilant about if our forebearers sacrifices are to mean something. We will hear the familiar verses early tomorrow morning from the War Memorial in Canberra to the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and to the smallest RSL Digger's monument in the smallest town in rural Australia..... They marched with songs into battle, They were young - straight of limb and true of eye. They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old, Age shall not weary nor the years condemn. At the going down of the Sun.... and in the morning, We will remember them, We will remember them. Let us honour their sacrifice in our daily lives, remember that horrors and sacrfices of war for ALL and never forget their sacrifice for the country we now live in and the life we now know and sometimes take for granted. Let US not be be remembered by future generations as the Generation that let freedom slip from our grasp beacuse we were asleep on "our watch". LEST WE FORGET. Rat
O/t - anzac day 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Im posting this a few hours earlier than I normally do every year as tomorrow I will be away from the HAMB so here we go.... April 25 is ANZAC DAY - it arguably is the most important day in the Australian calendar. For me personally and so many Australians and Kiwis all over the world.... Tomorrow morning we will reflect what it means to be Australian and and New Zealanders. What it means to be able to live in a country of relative peace and tolerance. What it means to be able to worship what/who we want, have our own political beliefs, come and go relatively easily. Oh, and BUILD and DRIVE the hot rods the we love !! We remember the loyalty, mateship, resourcefulness, endurance and sacrifice and the unique Australian character "of a fair go" that was forged on the killing fields of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We as a nation have served proudly from the Boer War right through to Afghanistan and the proud tradition continues. Relative freedom does not come cheap - we face challenges now that we must be vigilant about if our forebearers sacrifices are to mean something. We will hear the familiar verses early tomorrow morning from the War Memorial in Canberra to the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and to the smallest RSL Digger's monument in the smallest town in rural Australia..... They marched with songs into battle, They were young - straight of limb and true of eye. They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old, Age shall not weary nor the years condemn. At the going down of the Sun.... and in the morning, We will remember them, We will remember them. Let us honour their sacrifice in our daily lives, remember that horrors and sacrfices of war for ALL and never forget their sacrifice for the country we now live in and the life we now know and sometimes take for granted. Let US not be be remembered by future generations as the Generation that let freedom slip from our grasp beacuse we were asleep on "our watch". LEST WE FORGET. Rat
Oops double post - Bup for the Aussies and Kiwis.....click on the link below to see some great Historical pix submitted by Digger's families to the local newspaper. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/gallery/0,22010,5038503-5018941-2,00.html Also, below is a letter from a commanding officer to the Mother of one of the fallen, dated May 1918. Lest We Forget Rat
Good on you rat, I was just talking with my boss (a Pommy import) about the dawn services tomorrow morning, he didn't seem to understand the importance of this day to us. I mentioned to him that we travelled to the other side of the world to fight and defend, for HIS country! Like you said Rat we need to ensure that we don't let things slip "On our watch". We enjoy the freedoms that we do because we have had to fight for them, things like being one of only three countries in the world where you are legally allowed to drive cars without fenders and even build our own cars at all. I have taken the day off work tomorrow to watch my Daughter and Father march in the dawn parade. I just hope the weather holds out as the forcast is looking pretty bad with over 100mm of rain expected in the next 24hrs......brings me to think of the soldiers who spent so much time in the trenches in sh!t conditions without the opportunity of going home for a shower after. LEST WE FORGET
Photos from my Great Grandfather. I have posted these before on Anzac day. Great Grandpop Alf Great Great Uncle Will, Alf's brother in-law Lest We Forget
Thanks boys. I think Peter Fitzsimons book Kokoda should be compulsory reading for ALL school students.
I haven't marched for years ,it gets a bit depressing thinking of special relations and old mates who have since died,so i'll spend the day going for a drive ( the local council have just opened a new memorial about 100 meters from my place and the sound of the last post is a bit too sad for me ). I'm of a generation who as children,were in a situation where almost every older male we knew were returned servicemen , A term I prefer to veteran, because too many didn't return. Tomorrow will also be a special day for the outback town of Blackall where they will unveil a memorial for a real hero,in the truest sense of the word I might add. A bronze statue of one of Australia's most highly decorated soldiers is set to be unveiled as a tribute to Lieutenant Edgar Towner who won a Victoria Cross in 1918 for bravery during a battle in France. He also won a Military Cross and was twice mentioned in dispatches. Lieutenant Towner who was born near Blackall and was raised in the area. heres an online article on this great Australian. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120275b.htm
Thanks Rat for the reminder. We, today, have very little comprehension of the absolutely abysmal conditions the Aussies & Kiwis fought and died in both in France & Gallipoli in "the war to end all wars" and then again in the various theatres of the second world war, and in the theatres of war since, right up to today. A book I read recently called "Letters from the trenches" about 3 Australian brothers who fought in WW 1 (two of the 3 died - shades of Private Ryan) was an absolute tragedy and a heart jerker to boot. God bless them all. The great thing I see at dawn parades now is the number of young people attending, some wearing family members medals. Can only be a good thing. "At the going down of the sun.....and in the morning We will remember them We will remember them" Lest we forget
As a collector of old military rifles.........will place my Lithgow built .303 Enfield front and center on the rack. M.
myself and blue collar stu are heading to the dawn service tomorrow to pay our respects. lest we forget.
Lest we forget,And to our diggers that are out there serving our country now in this time of respect.Thankyou for our freedom of this lucky land Australia.
The Jalopy Journal
