ANZAC DAY

Anzac Day is celebrated on 25th April each year, regardless of which day it falls on. It was on 25th April, 1915 that the armies of Australia and New Zealand entered into their premier battle of the First World War, at Gallipoli, in Turkey. At the time, Australia had only been recognised as a Federal Commonwealth for thirteen years.

Many Australians were sympathetic to the United Kingdom, which they regarded as the motherland. So the volunteer armies of Australian and New Zealand, eager to fight the good fight in the war, landed on the shores of the Gallipoli Peninsula, with the intent to capture and secure a safe passage for allied navies.

At Gallipoli, the ANZACs faced off with one of the fiercest armies history has ever known. Despite landing under the cover of darkness, the ANZACs were met with immediate bombardment and gunfire. On the shores of Gallipoli, the Australian and New Zealand armies fought for eight months forcing a stalemate. Eight thousand ANZAC soldiers lost their lives before the allies called for an evacuation.

By the 1920s, the day had become a way to memorialise the sixty thousand Australian soldiers who died in the First World War. By the next decade, all Australian states had a form of celebration for ANZAC Day and many of the traditions we still carry out today, had already taken shape.

However, for all the gallantry and selfless sacrifice offered by Australians in this war, it must also be remembered that throughout World War I there was a constant, unnecessary waste of human life.

While ANZAC Day is set to coincide with the anniversary of the landing in Gallipoli, the day itself is not meant to be a commemoration of the event, but rather of the qualities that Australia established for itself there. On ANZAC Day, we recognise the courage, mateship, skill and perseverance of those who have served, fought, and given their lives in the military. On ANZAC Day, we show love, honour and support for those who fought to enable freedom for people all over the world but were not able themselves to make it home.

Secondary students, Rafl Alaathamy (Year 7) and Ashlee Kirkpatrick (Year 8) represented our school, and commemorated the event at a wreath laying ceremony in Shepparton. They respectfully laid their wreath with other school students and notable personalities from around the Goulburn Valley. Once again our students have done us proud.