winterbadger (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
winterbadger) wrote2008-04-25 08:25 am
winterbadger) wrote2008-04-25 08:25 am
Entry tags:
a toast to those strange people from Down Under
Here's to the men (and now women) from Australia and New Zealand who have fought and far too often died for King, Country, and for those who live far from their Antipodean homes.
If you're not familiar with ANZAC Day, there are a good many references, starting with this Wikipedia article.
Someone from Australia commented on one list I read:
Observations - there are no WWI diggers left - I knew that, but I was still looking for them, and oddly they were still there if you knew where to look - in the corner of the crowd was an old lady wearing her father's medals...and down the front was a little girl who would never
have known her great-great (?) grandfather, but she certainly knew what he did.
The MC for the local service is a rat of Tobruk, and his dad was at Villiers-Brettonoux 90 years ago today (see here for a very
jingoistic version of the story).
The ranks of the WWII chaps are thinning, and even the Vietnam diggers suddenly look old.
But, unlike 5 years ago, there are now a lot of young diggers, men and women, wearing campaign medals for Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Looks like Anzac Day is in good health.
Lest we forget.
Australia and New Zealand have never stinted in offering support to their allies. I wish that sometimes the causes they fought in could have been better, but the sacrifices were always as great.
If you're not familiar with ANZAC Day, there are a good many references, starting with this Wikipedia article.
Someone from Australia commented on one list I read:
Observations - there are no WWI diggers left - I knew that, but I was still looking for them, and oddly they were still there if you knew where to look - in the corner of the crowd was an old lady wearing her father's medals...and down the front was a little girl who would never
have known her great-great (?) grandfather, but she certainly knew what he did.
The MC for the local service is a rat of Tobruk, and his dad was at Villiers-Brettonoux 90 years ago today (see here for a very
jingoistic version of the story).
The ranks of the WWII chaps are thinning, and even the Vietnam diggers suddenly look old.
But, unlike 5 years ago, there are now a lot of young diggers, men and women, wearing campaign medals for Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Looks like Anzac Day is in good health.
Lest we forget.
Australia and New Zealand have never stinted in offering support to their allies. I wish that sometimes the causes they fought in could have been better, but the sacrifices were always as great.
no subject
no subject