ANZAC DAYAustralian and New Zealand Army Corps

Contents• ANZAC Day• Australia at War• Medals• Freedom• Dawn Services• The Ode• Symbols and Traditions• Values• Simpson and his Donkey

ANZAC Day• ANZAC Day is on the 25th of

April each year. On this day we honor all the men and women who participated in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations around the world, including the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War 1.

• This year is a special year for ANZAC Day as it marks 100 years since Australia has been involved in the First World War.

Australia at WarA war is like a big fight between countries who disagree over some things.

Most of the countries in the world joined in the fighting during the First World War. This war lasted four years.

There was a second World War which lasted for six years. Since then there have been other small wars and battles.

The dotted lines show where Australians travelled to in some of the conflicts.

Australia combined forces with New Zealand for the First World War. We are so close, we stay

friends so that we can help each other if we have to, particularly in times of war because the rest of

the world is so far away.

• Australia has sent soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses to other countries (like Timor, Solomon Islands and Iraq) when they needed help, as well as looked after our country. When they go to countries to help to keep the peace.

• Within the Defence Force there are men and women who are doctors, dentists, cooks, truck drivers etc.

Medals• On ANZAC Day we remember the brave men

and women who have served our country in times of war.

• People who have defended our country get special medals. These medals are proudly worn on ANZAC Day when we especially remember all the people who have died or suffered in wars so that we might live freely.

Freedom• To be free means that we can do things like go where we

want to go, live where we want to live, own our own things, have food to eat, a job to earn money and act as we want to act.

• In some countries people are not allowed to do these things.• On ANZAC Day we show our thanks to the people who have

fought for our country.

Dawn Services

• ANZAC Day begun with a Dawn Service. Dawn is a symbolic time. The landing at Gallipoli occurred at dawn, and soldiers were woken before dawn and called to ‘stand-to’ (meaning to man their positions).

• At a Dawn Service you might see the following: veterans are called to ‘stand-to’ followed by one or two minutes of silence to remember the fallen, then the silence is broken by a single bugle (a brass horn instrument) playing the Last Post.

• The Last Post was originally played during war to tell soldiers the day was over. When the Last Post is played at memorial services it symbolises that the duty of the dead is over and that they are able to rest in peace.

The OdeThe Ode is part of a special poem that is said during the ANZAC Day service. Here are the words:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them.

Symbols and Traditions

• ANZAC Day parades are also held, with ex-servicemen and women marching in uniform.

• Flowers and wreaths are laid on graves or memorials. A poppy or sprig of rosemary is worn on ANZAC Day. Rosemary is for remembrance and poppies symbolise the bloodshed in war.

• During World War I, red poppies were the first plants to grow on the devastated French and Belgian battlefields. Soldiers used to say that their red colour came from all the blood spilt on the ground.

• On ANZAC Day, flags are lowered to half-mast as a sign of honour, respect and mourning.

Values• When you hear someone speak about the ANZAC spirit, think of courage, bravery,

endurance, mateship, determination and sacrifice.• These are the values that were demonstrated so strongly by the soldiers at Gallipoli

during World War 1 and are important in defining Australia as a nation.

Simpson and his Donkey

• One man who truly showed the ANZAC spirit was Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick. Simpson, as he was known, was in the Australian Army Medical Corps. Night or day, he rescued injured men and transported them to safety at ANZAC Cove on the back of his donkey. The donkey had originally been brought to Gallipoli for carrying water but, with Simpson, it found a much greater cause. In only 24 days at Gallipoli, Simpson and his donkey rescued around 300 wounded soldiers.

CreditsPictures sourced from:

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Simpson_Kirkpatrick#/media/File:Simpson_and_the_donkey.jpg

•http://www.anzacappeal.com.au/

•http://www.weekendnotes.com/images/800pxdawnservicegnangarra03.jpg

•http://www.smythe.id.au/letters/misc_1.htm