ANZAC DAY 2017

by Gracie Crowley

ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important days of commemoration. It marks the anniversary of one of the first major actions by the Australian and New Zealand military forces during World War One.

On this morning 102 years ago, the ANZAC’s set out against incredibly grim odds to take the Gallipoli peninsula, and although the campaign was unsuccessful, it has left us with a powerful legacy.

After the Second World War, ANZAC Day began to serve as a commemoration of all the Australian and New Zealand lives lost in war, and today it continues to remember all our service men and women who have served in and lost their lives in conflicts since then.

In current times ANZAC Day is a day where we all reflect on the many different meanings of war. Whether that could be the losses we have suffered, the people currently overseas serving, the horrors of war, the survivors, the families left behind or the families whose loved ones returned but returned broken, be that physically or mentally.

Our world today is one of uncertainty, of conflict and terror, which reminds us that days like ANZAC Day should not be taken for granted. It is a day meant to unite us all, and remind us that people have fought for the freedoms we enjoy, and perhaps take for granted.

Today I do not give thought to some of the negative things I hear people say about this day. I do not give thought to the reasons why these wars had to happen. Instead I only lend my thoughts to the brave men and women who fought for the life I live right now. The freedoms I have and the privilege it is to live in Australia.

I acknowledge that this is not a perfect country, we are flawed and like any other there are areas that need attention and improvement. But I am grateful that unlike many other countries in the world right now, I am safe from the horrors of war for the time being, and it is due to a tremendously important history and legacy of people fighting for that safety.