• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

ANZAC Day

Status
Not open for further replies.

Moses

Simon Poidevin (60)
Staff member
I hope everyone took the opportunity to remember not only the ANZACS, but all who have fought in our name.

I just spent 3 hours talking to my neighbour about his experiences as a 10 year old Brit when WWII broke. How he hid under the staircase as the Luftwaffe striked, and about how his childhood was in those times. He worked his way into the RAF, knowing morse code and every plane in the sky at age 16, only for peace to break out.

Stories of Lancaster bombers, spitfires and P51Ds were amazing, and lined up with so many of the books that I've read. I only wish I'd had this talk with my own Grandfather while he'd still been around.

Lest we forget.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Great stuff, Moses. My grandfather was always reluctant to talk about his experience in Borneo. I lost him last year at 94 yrs old. He was like my father, really. We read about it in books, on the net, and so forth, but the reality was something different for most I think. Soak up these experiences, because they are what links us to that generation, for whom war was a bitter reality, not a glorious Hollywood sound-bite. Rather than draping ourselves in a standard, we should seek out this stuff and cherish it. Wars were not to be celebrated or glorified, they were to be abhorred and remembered for what we should steadfastly avoid. Lest we forget.
 

Rob42

John Solomon (38)
Moses, your mention of the RAF reminds me of one of my dad's older friends, who flew Lancasters for the RAF over Germany. At 19 years of age he was in charge of a crew of seven flying for hours and hours across enemy territory, mission after mission, seeing friends and colleagues killed every day. How any of the survivors stayed sane I'll never know.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Lots of them didn't stay sane.

Support upon demobilisation was non existent. Stiff upper lip and all that.

Many dealt with it by retreating into their shells, and relying on getting hammered with their mates at the RSL after the March on Anzac day as their only "counselling" and pshchological support outlet.

Plenty of ex WWII Dad's went to the grave having never talked openly and frankly about their experiences at war and of war with anyone apart from those who were there. Wives, children, grandchildren often knew nothing. Sad.

While the ADF seem to do it much better now, the Vietnam Vets have been treated very poorly by society in general. Not only did they not receive the necessary counselling and psychological support from Defence, but they were ostracised by large sections of contemporary society at the time. A great Welcome Home for the innocent young men and women wasn't it. For another thread.

We should rejoice that the current generation has not known "proper" war, and that the 18-24 year old young men and women in Australia are playing sport, studying, working or travelling and not shitting their pants worrying about being killed in some godforsaken foreign land by some equally scared post-adolescent pawn in some grown ups game.

Lest We Forget - EVER - NEVER.
 

GPSrow

Watty Friend (18)
on another note, it would've awesome if they could have done an ANZAC team vs. Lions game this year like they did in the 80s.
 
T

Train Without a Station

Guest
I think Anzac Day is a wonderful holiday. It's the best reason for a public holiday I can think of, to honour those who fought for our freedom. What concerns me is the trend that Anzac Day Dawn Parades (Perhaps this is only in my home town of the Gold Coast) becoming the "scene" to be, and go and get drunk at the RSL and get into a fight. I don't believe that honours what Anzac Day is all about. A former team mate of mine is a bouncer and was hit with the excuse on Anzac Day evening when knocking a blind drunk patron back, "Come on it's Anzac Day". This lack of respect of what it's really about from my generation (I am 27), as well as the fact it is taken as an excuse to make quasi-racial overtones is something that I am concerned is destroying what the day is all about.
 
T

TOCC

Guest
ANZAC Day is definitely my favourite day of the year, its great to see the crowds at dawn services getting bigger every year
 

boyo

Mark Ella (57)
ANZAC Day is ANZAC Day: not a sports day, even if ANZAC Day falls on a Saturday.
 

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
What are folk doing to commemorate ANZAC day this year?

As we remember all Servicemen and Servicewomen, and Merchant Navy and Civilians from all armed conflicts, is it any bigger deal that this year is the 100th anniversary of the original Gallipoli Landings?

I have a distant relative buried on the Peninsular, three closer relatives including a Father and Son who didn't come home from service on the Western Front, and two Uncles, one lost at Sea and one shot down over France, who lost their lives during WW2.

I'll be doing the Martin Place Dawn Service, followed by a couple of sly ales and some two up at the RSL before rocking up for BBQ duty at the Footy in the afternoon. Hope it is sunny.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
my lad's school is doing a camp out on their ovals on the Friday night. We will pitch tents and then watch Gallipoli on a big screen, hit the sack and then they are holding a dawn service at the school in the morning.
 
T

TOCC

Guest
Great stuff. As long as you aren't "wearing" an Aussie flag.
Not that I think you would be. ;)

Il probably be too drunk to remember to put it on..


No, I'm taking a couple of weeks off, there will be plenty of time for relaxing either side.. ANZAC Day is more of a commemorate affair for me..



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ChargerWA

Mark Loane (55)
My cousin snuck in on the ballot to get a spot at Gallipoli using our great grandfathers service as the hook. She is taking my uncle. So happy for them both. What an experience.

I think Albert Facey's autobiography " A Fortunate Life" should be compulsory reading in our curriculum. Maybe it won't resonate with city kids as much, but growing up in the area where his early life was lived it changed my whole outlook on life.

The section on his First World War experience is sobering. He mentions his brother being the victim of a mortar attack and he then spent an hour scouring the dunes to find bits and pieces of his brother so they could be interred. And that was about the depth of his discussion on the matter.

Wife's on shift so I'll be taking the kids down to the local dawn service in Donnybrook.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I think Albert Facey's autobiography " A Fortunate Life" should be compulsory reading in our curriculum. Maybe it won't resonate with city kids as much, but growing up in the area where his early life was lived it changed my whole outlook on life.



He was from around Katanning way wasn't he? I spent a far bit of my upbringing about 50km's up the road from there.

The kids are going to the war memorial at King's Park on Wednesday. As usual I'll be quietly reflecting on the day. My grandfather fought the Nazi's in WWII (not for Australia, but another allied nation) and my grandmother was in the British war effort at the same time. My wife's family have Vietnam vets (fortunately Dad avoided being drafted), so I'll be thinking of them on Saturday.
 

waiopehu oldboy

Stirling Mortlock (74)
Just before the Chiefs & Force kicked off Nisbo read out the names of the 13 AB killed in WW1 (incl Dave Gallaher, captain of the 1905 Originals) & said that in all 150 NZ 1st-class players didn't come home. Does anyone know the equivalent numbers for Australia?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top