This is just one link to the history of this day; there are many others on the internet.
http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp
But what has touched me most is the following comment from my new blog friend, Nia at photographyofnia.wordpress.com
Here is what she says:
First of all Thank you for visiting my blog, dear Julie. I am so glad to meet you. These photographs and your writing are so nice… My love and My prayers for you too on this Anzac Day… It is a memorial day, for us too.
In Turkey the name “ANZAC Cove” was officially recognised by the Turkish government on Anzac Day in 1985. In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered the following words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. This was later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington:
“Those heroes that shed their blood And lost their lives. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side Here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, Who sent their sons from far away countries Wipe away your tears, Your sons are now lying in our bosom And are in peace After having lost their lives on this land they have Become our sons as well.”
Thank you, Blessing and Happiness, dear Julie with my love, nia
I think you will agree that the above quote says it all – not just about ANZAC Day and what it means, but about life and death and the longevity of love and loyalty and maybe God.
jmgoyder 