ANZAC Day
I'll never forget last year's ANZAC day service. My alarm bleeped in the dark until I rolled out of bed. Normally, I'd curse and complain then shut the alarm off and slither down into the toasty depths of my doona. But the memory of why I was getting out of bed so early humbled me into silence. Shivering in the crisp April air I shuffled into jeans and zipped up my ski jacket. My friend and I had decided to visit the dawn ANZAC service at an air force base nearby. Our car swept along through clouds of eery mist as we rolled up to the air base entrance. It surprised me how many were already assembled in respectful stillness. Many were families - civilians far outnumbered service personnel. But as I thought about it, I realised ANZAC day is for those who didn't have to serve their country. A day for those who didn't have to pick up a gun they never wanted to fire, or leave their home they never wanted to leave and go kill people they never hated. A reverent solemnity overwhelmed the grounds as the sky grew from black to sombre blue while the priest made prayers and thanks to God. It was a funeral, a memorial and a tribute. Most of all, as the RAAF commander made explicit in his speech, ANZAC day is not to glorify war but to remind us of the value of peace. As I stood there singing the Australian national anthem I felt as though I was singing it not out of patriotism but out of a heartfelt desire for all the war-ravaged nations of the world to be able to share in our celebration of peace. Its no surprise that as overseas conflicts worsen, the ANZAC day tradition grows ever more meaningful in the hearts of Australians.
