Perth ANZAC Memorial
"Anzac Day is one of Australia’s most important national commemorative occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War."
I doubt I'll ever forget my first [and up to this point only] experience with
ANZAC Day. I was working with YWAM in Brisbane, Australia in 2004. We'd been told we'd have the day off on April 25th for a national holiday. I asked one of the YWAM staff who was also from the states what type of holiday it was and they said, "It's similar to Memorial Day".
While I agree with the spirit of that statement, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. Both days were set aside as holiday's to commemorate war veterans. But the comparisons stop there. The ways the two countries choose to commemorate are far different and provide a deep insight into both country's culture at large or 'cultural DNA' as our MTW team leader, Stephen Rarig might say.
Similar to me at that time, you're probably wondering what does ANZAC stand for and what is it commemorating? It stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corps. The holiday was originally set aside in 1916 as day to commemorate Australia's involvement and fallen soldiers of the World War I battle for the peninsula of Gallipoli. The objective was to knock Turkey (an ally of Germany) out of the war but the battle quickly became a stalemate and somewhere in the neighborhood of 11,000 Anzac's lost their lives. Ultimately the battle was lost and the campaign failed but as a recent
BBC article states:
"Gallipoli holds a special place in Australian hearts. Many believe it was here Australians proved themselves the equal of any in the world, heralding the young nation's emergence onto the world stage. "
Shortly after waking up on April 25, 2004 my Australian mates Daniel, Tony, and Pat invited me to visit the ANZAC Memorial with them. We went into the city of Brisbane and stood at the memorial in silence- it wasn't a long time but it was long enough to understand the weight and the importance of what the day meant to my three friends and the many Australians around me doing the same. Soon images of my two Grandfathers, who had fought in WWII flooded into my mind and soon I was thinking about sacrifice as well. The silence slowly gave way to quiet conversations about about life, war, death, freedom, and ultimately our shared faith in Jesus and how his ultimate sacrifice on the cross made us right with God. We were brothers in faith and bonded by the blood of Jesus. We were part of his church.
Brisbane ANZAC Memorial
I'm thankful my three friends invited me to experience ANZAC day with them. We made our way back to the YWAM base and ate BBQ and played soccer with the others. And ANZAC day showed those familiar and comforting similarities to how Memorial Day is celebrated in the States. My love and appreciation for Australia deepened that day. I believe God used this experience to strengthen and give depth to my sense of calling to share the Gospel in Australia that day. It was the day I went from observing to participating in an important Australian cultural moment.
We look forward to participating in more cultural moments in Australia and pray those moments will give way to understanding Australia and further opportunities to share the gospel with those we meet in Australia.
ANZAC Day 2015 -Dawn Service in Perth | photo by Brett Ballington
