ANZAC Day

[heater31]

I dragged myself out of bed @ 5.30am and went down to the West Torrens service.

Andy Collins and the majority of Westies players were in attendance along with a few hundred others

[devilsadvocate]

Have just this minute booked a trip to the Western Front in Belgium for ANZAC day. Nothing like planning ahead! Will be attending a dawn service in Ypres, followed by a visit to the Australian War Memorial and then another service hosted by the Mayor of Ypres. Then on the Sunday we visit the battlefield in Passchendaele.

Should be a great experience and a great way to honour ANZAC day.

Nice work Cennals.

I went to Ypres for a few days in November last year. Very moving place. I had a reasonable idea on it's history before I went, but was still blown away by the events that occurred there. The memorial at Menin Gate is a great tribute to those that lost their lives on the battlefields around Ypres and the last post ceremony held there every day is very emotional. It's a tradition that's occurred every night at the memorial for 80 years. Winston Churchill said of Ypres: 'A more sacred place for the British race does not exist.'. 250,000 Allies lost their lives in the Ypres Salient in WW1.

When we visited the Austalian War Memorial a bloke came out of nowhere with a set of bagpipes and waled up and down past the gravestones playing Amazing Grace. It was surreal.

It's unbelievable how many war graves there are in the fields around Ypres. Some small with a couple of hundred graves, others huge like Tyne Cot with its 12,000 graves. It's quite emotional to wander up and down and look at the rows and rows of Australians, New Zealanders, British and Canadians (and even 4 Germans at Tyne Cot) who all lost their lives in battle, particularly that the majority were so young.

Make sure you give us a report on Anzac Day from the Western Front!

[A Mum]

A very good tribute to the ANZACS last night at the McLaren V Yankalilla night game.
With all players, umpires, coaches etc from the A grade lining up in respect and rememberance,
with one of our players playing the last post.

The atmosphere enough to send shivers down your spine,
with the silence while the last post was being played,
the wintery weather that we've become accustomed to with ANZAC day and the darkness of the night.
And RSL members in attendance.

Lest we forget.

Some photos:
(Quality not fantastic, was dark and my camera didn't quite pick up images - I have 'tried' to join a few photos for panoramic view )

[brod]

Attended the Two Wells Dawn Service, was made even better with the playing of the NZ national anthem (they are one of only 2 RSLs in Australia to do this)

[brod]

Semaphore RSL has a good service, complete with a 21 gun salute and old warplane fly over. I've been the last 4 years. It's still bullshit we don't have a public holiday on the Monday or Friday. I heard it's because of the shops having a bitch they will miss out on cash, which wouldn't surprise me. Can't beat greed in this day and age. Any truth to that?

How do you figure that
Shops were closed on a Saturday (the busiest day of the week).

ANZAC Day is considered too significant to communicate the Public Holiday, for its National significance. (not to suit the supermarkets - with your logic)

You dont happen to work for Today Tonight do you?

[Felch]

Semaphore RSL has a good service, complete with a 21 gun salute and old warplane fly over. I've been the last 4 years. It's still bullshit we don't have a public holiday on the Monday or Friday. I heard it's because of the shops having a bitch they will miss out on cash, which wouldn't surprise me. Can't beat greed in this day and age. Any truth to that?

How do you figure that
Shops were closed on a Saturday (the busiest day of the week).

ANZAC Day is considered too significant to communicate the Public Holiday, for its National significance. (not to suit the supermarkets - with your logic)

You dont happen to work for Today Tonight do you?

I think he was referring to the fact the shops had to be closed on the Saturday, and didn't want a public holiday on the Friday or Monday as well, as it would cost them more revenue.