The Australian Bite

The meaning of Anzac Day

23 April 2009

Listen and download: MP3

In this special Anzac Day edition of The Australian Bite, I’ll be taking a look at what Anzac day commemorates, what it means to Australians, and how it has changed over the years.  And I’ll also take you on a visit to Australian War Memorial in Canberra.  It’s the focal point for Anzac Day ceremonies, and the most popular tourist attraction in Canberra – Australia’s national capital.

 The meaning of Anzac Day

Every year on April 25th, Australians stop and remember all the Australian men and women who have served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.  It’s a public holiday, and special dawn services, along with marches and other commemorative events, are held around the country.  The 25th of April itself marks the day that back in 1915 during World War One, Australian and New Zealand Troops landed on the beach at Gallipoli in Tukey.  The landing didn’t result in a glorious victory, but rather a military defeat in which thousands of soldiers lost their lives.  So why does Australia choose that particular day to acknowledge the service of its war veterans?
We find out from Dr Peter Stanley – a military historian and the Director of the Centre for Historical Research at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.

Peter Stanley has written a very interesting and easily readable article “Why does Gallipoli mean so much?”

Map of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, Turkey. 

You can check out the ABC’s interactive site “Gallipoli: The First Day” here: http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/gallipoli/

To experience Gallipoli: The First Day in 3D you’ll need to close other large applications and have:
• Broadband Internet connection
• 2GB RAM on your computer
• Speakers or headphones
• Minimum 1024×768 screen resolution
• Flash player 10

A visit to the Australian War Memorial

The national focal point for Anzac Day commemorations is the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra, which hosts the Dawn Service and the National Anzac Day Ceremony. The AWM attracts close to a million visitors each year, who come to pay their respect to those service men and women who have given their lives, and learn more about Australians at war in the extensive military museum.  The Memorial’s Leigh Harris and volunteer guide Judy Invene tell us about about the some of the special features of the AWM.  And Craig Tibbits, Curator of Official Records at the AWM Research Centre describes the huge range of documents to found in the collection – much of which is accessible on line.

Take a virtual tour of the Australian War Memorial here: www.awm.gov.au/virtualtour/index.asp

You can access the AWM’s online database here: www.awm.gov.au/database

 

Music (not in podcast)

The Herd – “I was only nineteen”

One of Australia’s best known songs about war was recorded in 1983 by political folk band Redgum. The song is called “I Was Only Nineteen – A Walk in the Light Green”.  It was written by singer songwriter John Schumann, and it not only explores the impact of war on soldiers, but also condemns the way that Australia’s Vietnam Veterans were treated when they returned home.  In 2005, the song was covered by hip hop outfit The Herd

Artist:     The Herd
Track:     I was only nineteen
Album:   The Sun Never Sets (2005)