Anzac Day will die without a new generation of marchers

John says:

05:24pm | 30/03/12

Many seem to have forgotten that there are two (2) ceremonies on ANZAC Day,  the Dawn Service is when we veteren’s gather at the rising of the sun to remember are fallen comrades in arms -it is for us (but many thanks to the thousands who turn up to help us remember).
Later in the day there is the “peoples” march.  This is diffrent. 
You will not see a school, boy scout troop or girls brigade march to a cenotaph at 04.45 hr and neither should you, then again, you will not see the police march, or anyone other than veterans. 
This “peoples” march is a ceremony of a different sort - it is more inclusion, and more community.
By the way I am a 25 years (Army) vet, numerous tours, son of a vet, grandson of a vet, and bloody proud of it.  I wear my medals at dawn, but give the old man’s (gotta stop calling him that now that my kids have grown up) and his old man’s medals an airing at the people’s march, why - so that people remeber the diggers who aren’t with us anymore.  And that closes the circle - at dawn we veterans remember our mates and at the march the community thanks us, remembers our mates, and all the other fallen.  Legally once a veteran dies his/her medals are to be returnmed to the Commonwealth (most veterans would agree that this has nobs on it) but the tradition grew from units having the orphans of their mates wear the medals and march along with them.  Just think about for a minute, then ask yourself if that veteran hadn’t served his country would he/she still be with his/her sons/daughters, even many years after wars.  War is tough, even if it doesn’t kill you it certainly effects you, your family and shortens your life.  So maybe family marching and wearing the medals (right side of course) is not such a bad thing.  For all you ‘diggers’ complaining about kids in the march - well in many ways it is for them,  to be…,  to show…, to be seen…, and heck we have dawn - thats for us - thats for our mates - thats enough.

MarianK says:

02:36pm | 08/04/10

‘The resurgence of interest and participation in Anzac Day in recent years has been remarkable.’

Not when you consider the massive and vastly one-side coverage it’s been getting in recent years - especially the heavily subsidised Anzac school ‘curriculum’.

As for kids marching in the parade, I find this a distasteful brainwashing of young minds - conditioning them early on to believe that if you fight in a war you’re a somebody and if you die in a war you’re a saint.

Dave says:

11:25pm | 09/03/10

Its a tough one isn’t it?

I agree that ANZAC Day should not ever be a ‘carnival’ or celebration, ever. It is and forever will be a Commemoration. It saddens me to see that despite the benefits of a modern education supposedly intelligent people still can’t get it through their thick heads - ITS NOT A CELEBRATION. No one is celebrating murder, killing, victory, triumph of arms, who has more medals etc.

I always make a special effort to get down to the local Dawn Service, listen to the words of the speakers, watch the local march and have a few beers with the blokes afterwards before heading off home. As I get older I seem to get home earlier and earlier. I’ve grown to like watching a re-run or taping of the ABC televised march with my kids answering their questions. While I am watching those old Diggers march by I’m thinking about all those blokes who aren’t there to march for everyone to cheer and clap for, who won’t be there to have a cold beer.

To be honest, I don’t mind seeing the kids march. My kids march under their school banner at the tail end of the march after all the veterans (local march). They love it. I only give them a Poppy and a Legacy badge to wear. I have never ever been able to get them to sit still for more than 5 minutes but they can sit there absolutely silent for 45 minutes during the service after the march with rapt attention and I am glad they are learning something. And you can’t ask for a better audience to learn from and it hands down beats trying to learn it from a book.

I do however have a problem with adults marching wearing their relatives medals. They aren’t yours. Hang them on the wall next to a portrait or donate them to the AWM. I just never saw it as ‘honouring’ your relative…just a ‘Look at Me’ opportunity. Call me harsh but that’s the way I see it.

I must be going to the wrong marches and Dawn Services because I don’t think I have ever seen some Southern Cross tattooed moron wearing an Aussie flag and screaming Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! at any ANZAC Day ceremony, march or RSL. To be honest, they’d probably get flogged, and rightly so. I think its more of a media beatup and more likely a beat up by those using the safety of posting anonymously on the internet to grind their anti-military, anti-ADF axe.

Politicians send our servicemen and women off to war. They get their grinning mugs in the papers shaking hands with some young Digger as they are about to head off to one of the most horrific and frightening experiences in human existence. They’ve forgotten all about that young digger 3 poofteenths of a second after that camera goes click. They’ll then deny that Digger ever existed once they return home and fight tooth and nail, spending millions of our tax dollars to fight every single legitimate claim for compensation that Digger and his mates put in for to help them get their destroyed lives back together.

Politicians get remembered in the history books for sending people to war, people who never served get to re-write the history books with decades of hindsight and personal prejudice, civilians move on and get on with their lives as if nothing has changed, corporations try to make money or sell a few hamburgers off the day and the images of the diggers, the media trots out the same tired old platitudes and newsreel footage and come April 26th, 24 measly hours later the old Digger is forgotten. Thats the real tragedy.

Nicki says:

06:20pm | 09/03/10

Don’t worry America will start another war , so there will be plenty of new veterans to march.

Henry says:

02:06pm | 09/03/10

Marchers must be over 18.  No kids.  And only ONE marcher for ONE digger.

There has to be respect shown.  Young kids that don’t have a clue and are just there for a parent ego trip/show off is totally wrong and is not popular amongst diggers.

Willy K says:

02:04pm | 09/03/10

A blood relative of a war veteran should be allowed to march as long as:

They are of 18 years and over. 
They wear a suit and tie (and female equivalent)
They display the medals

This would mean massive ANZAC day marches again and renewed interest in ANZAC history.

The marching honour could be shared amongst family members and it would be a real sense of pride and create MUCH NEEDED tradition in Australia.

It must be very classy and respectful but it must be done so that it never dies.

An old Digger.

Jacky A says:

10:44am | 09/03/10

How can you get unanimity with so many calling for the abolition of sons and daughters marching alongside their Grandfathers, bedecked with medals from bygone Wars ? The RSL should be doing more sensible things, like fighting the Dept Veteran Affairs for justice for bonfide Vets who suffer PTSD, war nureosis, and old combat wounds, instead of putting imbecilic regulations to show their puny dinosauric strength - no wonder they are the laughing stock of the Community.
I gave up marching 3 years ago, when the guy next to me wore a Special Forces baret, and chest full of medals he evidently bought from a souvenier cash-an-carry shop. He was later found out, by a group of Vietnam Vets, who pursue these clowns who seek two minute glory ? Then there is this silly practice of Vets wearing their fathers medals from the Boer War on the right side, as if to boast he’s earned more than me ? The Govt, ADF, not the RSL, should dictate who should march, and the formality of the occassion. The thing that bugs me most is the desecration of our Flag.
In the RAAF, we saluted the Flag sunup, and it was prohibited to allow the Flag to touch the ground whilst folding it neatly at sundown. We draped the Flag over the coffins reverently, as a symbolic gesture of farewell to our fallen mate. Now, they wear it on their backsides, footware, and ridiculas head ware and Chowtaw blanket, as a symbol of macho Ozzieness - oui, oui, oui. In the USA, you can get life for burning the Stars-n-stripes. No where in the wide World, do Govts allow the desecration of their National Flag, except here. Amusingly, most of the Flags draped around these freaks are made in China, because we haven’t the where-with-all to manufacture a National treasure. The last laugh is on us. Soon, they will be making Babies napkins, and tampons, and frangers with our National flag logo, so that every time you go luvy-duvy, you are doing your Patriotic duty in the name of Australia. Oui. oui. oui.

marley says:

10:25am | 09/03/10

Being a Canadian, I can only compare the Anzac Day celebrations with the much-less hyped Remembrance Day celebrations back home.  Marching in the latter is reserved for active servicemen and for veterans, and occasionally for cadet units. Period.  Family and descendents do not wear medals they didn’t earn or march in parades representing forces in which they never served.  And yet Remembrance day ceremonies in Canada most definitely are not dying - there are, sadly, plenty of newer veterans of various peacekeeping missions, and there is also a real awareness of sacrifices made in previous generations among the descendents and heirs of those of soldiers and sailors.  I see no reason why Anzac Day should be any more likely to falter if the parades were restricted to servicemen and veterans than is the case with Remembrance Day.

OldGirl says:

08:55am | 09/03/10

My Grandfather fought in the first World war, my dad was in New Guinea and Darwin when it was bombed. Both of them are dead now but I don’t feel I have the right to march. It’s a day for veterans I go to the Anzac march and I must admit I cry. I look at these brave old soldiers and feel so grateful to them. Without them we might not have the same Australia we have now. If relatives want to march when these old diggers are gone, that’s fine with me. Many of the relatives were not even born when these wars were fought including myself. Let these old diggers have their day they earned it

AFR says:

07:37am | 09/03/10

Perhaps if they actually xdressed up a little. I tend to cringe every year as the real vets march with pride in blazers/suits etc, and they walk next to some guy in trackie daks.

iansand says:

07:15am | 09/03/10

It will be a great day when there are no veterans alive to march.  That will mean that peace has broken out for a few generations.

The march should be reserved for serving members of the forces and veterans.

mark says:

06:23pm | 08/03/10

Walter you are so right.
One cannot be a soldier by-proxy.
What about the ones who lost their lives and never had a chance to have children or granchildren.?
We will always remember them - march or no march.

nic says:

05:21pm | 08/03/10

I wasn’t ‘there’ and didn’t fight. Just because my forebears did doesn’t give me the right to march. We should remember in other ways. Don’t turn Anzac Day into a farce, it’s not kiddies day.

BTS says:

03:29pm | 08/03/10

One would have thought you would be more concerned with providing Veterans their entitlements instead of making them prove they were actually in the war (Vietnam Veterans have to prove they went to the war, even though they were conscripted); or providing them with the proper equipment instead of doing things on the cheap so that they come back alive.  War Veterans should have access to all services as an automatic right.  Imagine going to war, sometimes against your will, being poorly equipped and if you were fortunate enough to return are told you were never really there.  Those are the issues.

dawborn says:

03:14pm | 08/03/10

Darren makes a valid comment;  human nature is unlikely to change much in the foreseeable future so wars will continue unfortunately.  As one of the older generation I am against children being part of the Anzac march ; only those who have served should be on parade and if the day comes when there are too few left then the format can be changed.

John A Neve says:

02:46pm | 08/03/10

“Let us not lose sight of the values which took our service people off to defnd this nation”. 
I would suggest we lost sight of those values many years ago. One wonders what an ANZAC would think of our society today?

Anzac day is a day to reflect, it will never die in the minds of those that remember and most, if not all those children have no idea what ANZAC day is really about.