ZigzagAustralia

Today it was the commemoration day of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Corps) troops again in Australia. On 25^th April, 1915 the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli, Turkey and fought for peace in the WW1. On ANZAC Day we also remember those who participated in wars later, e.g. in Korean War, etc. This is a common commemoration day in Australia and New Zealand, and there are uncountable memorial services throughout the country and also in the cities, like in Perth.  This year is more special, because The Royal Australian Navy celebrates its 100^th annual this year as well. (We shared this joy and bought ANZAC cookies in limited edition tin box

In 2009, when we lived in Sydney, we visited the huge and memorable parade in town, it is the biggest ANZAC parade in the country with lots of veterans and members of several organizations that participated in wars, like the world`s largest humanitarian organization, Red Cross. You can read our anno blog post here.

So today we did not visit any parade, just because we felt really tired. We went to Kings Park instead, with what else than our new bikes…We were hurrying to the Dawn Service, which is a special form of memorial ceremony, because it happens in the darkness and in absolute silence before sunrise. So you can imagine how crowded the roads in Kings Park were before 5 am…. Actually the dawn service in Perth was the best attended this year with 45.000 people!!)))

I liked the scene for the Dawn Service in Perth. The War Memorial is on the top of a plateau, and the view on the river harbour and the skyscrapers is just fantastic. It faces east, so you are basically waiting for the sunrise as well while standing in silence for about an hour or more. Viewing of archive footages started at about 4.30 am, and afterwards there was the short story of the 1^st and 2^nd WW and the role of ANZAC troops at Gallipoli and later in Crete, told by a narrator, which was very interesting and made us more sensitive for the meaning of this commemoration.

After that, veterans and relatives of late soldiers and other organizations made their commemoration at the memorial, placing their wreaths there. Everybody was standing in absolute silence, only the kookaburras were laughing nearby and other birds as the time passed by. It was a weird but very memorable and nice experience. The silence has a special meaning. It remembers us on those soldiers who were sitting in the boats to be landing at Gallipoli before dawn, sitting in silence, feeling mateship, courage, etc.

Australians are famous for their cheerful spirit, but this Dawn Service is absolutely not about this. It is only about proud but sad commemoration, without any picnic tools, food or merchandise thingies. Because of the silence it would have been very rude to take any photos so we did take them only after the official commemorations ended.

What do you like the most in ANZAC Day?