ANZAC Day

I thought following Deb's Anzac Day post; I'd post a couple of my own thoughts.

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Each year as we come to ANZAC Day; there is a feeling that it is ANZAC Day more than Australia Day, or Federation that is our national day; or symbolises what we value as Australian. We see this in the growing numbers of Australian’s who make the pilgrimage to Gallipoli and the Dawn Service.

Hugh Mackay in his book Turning Point: Australian’s Choosing Their Future puts it like this:

Anzac Day .. captures the essence of how Australia began, and how we have built on from a shaky start to make something worthwhile of ourselves...
...ANZAC Day may turn out to be the festival we are looking for; the one that acknowledges the importance of our past as a resource for evaluating present and creating the future. Anzac Day says with a voice that grows louder every year, that we expect something good to happen; that we are still capable of becoming the society that would justify the sacrifice of those who thought we were worth fighting for...
...The question that Anzac Day asks is ‘what have we done with the peace that was won for us?’...

The other trend for Anzac Day over the last few years is to the scheduling of ‘Anzac Day’ test matches (Australia v New Zealand) and the traditional AFL game between Collingwood and Essendon. As these sportsman play on this day, and more generally; we hear of their hero status. It is another point in how we have in this Country glorified our sportsmen and women. They are not heroes; to borrow a quote from Bono – in describing himself – and how he and other entertainers are referred to as heroes. He says – [we are] not heroes, we are selfish people who enjoy what we do. And sportsman I would think generally are similar, they enjoy what they do.

Heroes; to borrow Hugh Mackay again; stir in us an expanded sense of Human potential; they heighten our sense of what we can do, and who we can be. Today’s Heroes he goes on to say may be the old style – the explorer for example who sacrifices his life that the party could go on; but may now be unsung; and possibly fighting private battles against, ignorance, prejudice, intolerance and apathy.

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Wanted to finish with a prayer from the APB – We on Anzac Day, remembered the fallen from the previous wars, but we ought also remember our servicemen and women on assignment, be it Iraq; or elsewhere.

Eternal God, the only source of peace; we pray for all who serve us in the defence forces of this land; Give them courage, and comfort in all dangers; comfort also their families; their wives; their husbands; and their children in their absence; And help us we pray, to seek for all people; the freedom to serve you and each other in peace and justice; we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.