I will never forget my first (and so far only) ANZAC Day. I was taking part in a 6 month YWAM discipleship training school (DTS) in Brisbane, Australia, it was extremely hot, the television kept showing a memorial with a lot of names, oh and according to an Aussie friend of mine- "it was a great day to watch the footy, drink beer, and find some BBQ.
While I can assure you we did NOT drink any beer (it was prohibited by YWAM while taking part in our DTS), we did find good BBQ and we most certainly watched the footy (Aussie Rules Football-more on that soon). At the end of the day I surmised that ANZAC Day, whatever it was celebrating and however it was spelled felt a lot like the Fourth of July in the United States- it turns out I was pretty close. But as I drifted off to sleep that night that was the last time I thought about ANZAC Day until a few years ago.
In 2010 when Missy and I were approved by MTW to begin this journey of support raising in order to go join a church planting team in Perth, Australia, I began research the history of Australia and better understand more about this strange place where we hope to soon live and serve. At some point I stumbled across a national holiday list. And there it was- ANZAC Day:
What is ANZAC Day?
ANZAC Day – 25 April – is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
What does ANZAC stand for?
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.
Why is this day special to Australians?
When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.
The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.
For more info on ANZAC Day click HERE.
So I was pretty close. It is a lot like the 4th of July in the United States in that, the idea of the ANZAC legend helped shape part of the identity of both Australia and New Zealand. And while it is meant to be a day of national pride and reflection on the many different meanings of war, in my experience- there is plenty of BBQ, beer (or so I've heard) and footy to go around... Much like the 4th of July only in the US it'd be baseball over the footy.
Happy ANZAC Day!
