ANZAC DAY REFLECTIONS - Written by our Nagle College community April 23, 2020 The Spirit of ANZAC was suggested by official war historian C.E.W ...

# ANZACATHOME

        ANZAC DAY REFLECTIONS
              Written by our Nagle College community April 23, 2020

The Spirit of ANZAC was suggested by official war historian C.E.W. Bean to
have "stood, and still stands, for reckless valour in a good cause, for
enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance that will
never own defeat."

To me, ANZAC Day means that you take the time to remember the
people who risked their lives for our country, to remember those we
lost and for me to remember my grandad and great uncle who
fought in World War 2. ANZAC Day is important to my family, we
remember our loved ones we lost in the war. ANZAC Day is really
important because these people risked their lives for our own safety
and without them our country would not be as safe as it is today.
– Georgie Broomhall

What does ANZAC Day mean to me? Whilst I have always sincerely appreciated the sacrifice of our
brave service men and women, I think the trials of this year have shown me a greater meaning of the
comradery, mateship and genuine affection embodied in the ANZAC spirit. For me the ANZAC Spirit
reflects true Australian values of community, stewardship and the care we show for one another.
– Lauren Hollingsworth

ANZAC is a special day of remembrance and reverence. All those people that served and died for us
will be remembered in our hearts and heads. May all the thousands of Australian men and women
never be never forgotten. Lest we forget.
– Danielle Hurley

It’s a reflection time to think about the soldiers who
fought for our freedom.
– Matt Leong

ANZAC day means remembering those who have fought
for our country so that we can live in our wonderful
peaceful country, Australia. The day embodies the
Australian Spirit of mateship, courage, determination and
goodwill to all. It is a day to remember the fallen men,
women and animals and celebrate all of their
achievements. It is a day to recognise those who serve us
today to maintain our freedom.
– Elaine Vertriest

ANZAC Day means to me: To honour and pay our respects
to all those involved in the war, that have allowed us the
privilege of living in a free country. For me, it also is a time
to reflect upon and appreciate all the sacrifices and
selflessness that the service men and women made.
– Ellie Holland (College Captain 2020)

ANZAC Day means:
    •   never forgetting those who sacrificed their lives
        for us,
    •   never forgetting the horror that is war,
    •   caring for and showing our respect for those who
        have come home from all wars.
ANZAC Day prompts me to remember:
    •   how important out Defence Force personnel are,
    •   that they still continue to support and protect us.
ANZAC Day reminds me to:
    •   Be thankful that I live in Australia.
– Sharlene John

ANZAC day is the day where we can take time to
remember those that have sacrificed themselves for the
Australia that we live in today. The least we can do, is pay
respects to them and tell them our thanks for defending
us and our home. Our family has members that have
fought and lost their lives in the war which is a part of our
history that we remember each year. We have family that
is in the current armed forces that we thank everyday too.
– Crystal Williams

ANZAC Day is a very important day for our family. My
grandfather was a Gallipoli veteran whose photo and
medals are in a frame displayed in our lounge room, so we
have a direct historical connection to the original ANZAC
Day. My daughters have been involved in the Spirit of
ANZAC prize and the Arthur Grassby Award. One daughter
was lucky enough to be at Gallipoli for the centenary of the
landing at Gallipoli.
Personally, I love some of the powerful and emotional
Australian songs that have been written about the ANZACs
and the ANZAC spirit. Songwriters such as: Eric Bogle, John Schumann, Mick Thomas have written
songs that have, and will last and be remembered for many years. Way beyond the 10 week cycle of
most pop songs.
I think it is important to remember the sacrifice that Australian service men and women have made
for all Australians, so ANZAC Day will always be a most important day for me and my family.
– John Corby

In our family we honour and respect the ANZACs who fought for our freedom.
–Jack Cameron

This quote pretty much summarises ANZAC Day for me. ANZAC Day is about being grateful for what
we have and being here because all those men and women gave up their lives so we can have a
tomorrow and they couldn't. I pretty much believe ANZAC Day and the ANZAC Spirit are about
remembering them and being grateful for what we have.
– Sikha Stafford

ANZAC Day, for me, is about commemorating those who served in all wars, conflicts and
peacekeeping operations. It is especially about remembering those who lost their lives in the
process.
– Jess Bradley

To my family, ANZAC Day makes us reflect,
remember and respect our fallen, both the serving
members of my own family and other Australian
families. It’s a time to teach the children in the
family the history of our forebears and the
sacrifices they made.
– Toni Collins

ANZAC Day, to me, means a special time to reflect and honour all the brave men and women and
animals who risked their lives to keep our country safe and keep peace within the world. ANZAC Day
is very important to my family as it is a time for us to stop and reflect on sacrifices and courage of
our past family members who have served in WW1 and WW2. The ANZAC spirit has come back alive
in our community which was demonstrated due to the horrific battle we faced with the fires, but
under awful circumstances this ANZAC spirit has made the community come together, like the
soldiers in the trenches.

I believe ANZAC Day is an extremely important day and should be continued so Australians continue
to be grateful for what they have and so they can understand and honour the brave service men,
women and animals.
– Chelsea Filmer

ANZAC day for me is to think about all the
people that went to war to serve our country
and especially the ones who couldn’t make it
back.
– Piper Svetlik

It means the united force between Australians
and New Zealanders that sacrificed their lives
for our beautiful country to be standing strong
today. We are honoured that our family
members fought in the war; my pop took the
charge at the Nek in Gallipoli and Chris's dad
fought in the American marines and was shot
up in the Guadal canal against the
Japanese. Every year we go to the parades
where Charlie has marched right up until last
year. This year we will stand at the end of the
driveway and do the early morning silence. So
in our family we are incredibly touched by the
sacrifices that were made.
– Patrina Reeves

ANZAC Day is a time to think about the people who lost their lives in the war so that we can live the
way we live today.
– Tate Hammond

I'm not Australian, however, I love that Australia pays tribute to the men and women who served
– outside of Remembrance Day. As the generation who fought pass away, it's so important to keep
the memories and sacrifices alive. We should always be thankful and appreciative of the freedoms
we enjoy – especially as these freedoms came at such a monumental cost.
– Amanda Vowell

ANZAC Day is a time for us all to reflect on the sacrifices made by our Defence Services every single
day. We are so fortunate to live in Australia and it’s a time to feel grateful and patriotic but it’s also a
time to recognise the effort exerted and loss endured by other countries. I will always remember the
messages from the Turkish mothers I read when I was in Gallipoli for ANZAC Day in 1997. It is an
experience I will carry with me forever. This quote always makes me sad for the mothers: "Those
heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where
they lie side by side in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway
countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having
lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."
– Gabrielle Costin

It brings foremost to my mind the futility of war and the senseless slaughter of so many innocent
young men.
– Ruth Kissick

ANZAC Day is a day of paying respect to the soldiers
who fought for our freedom and good life. As well a
bit rivalry towards the end of the day as half of my
family supports Essendon and the other half supports
Collingwood.
– Jai Nicholls

ANZAC day means a lot to my family and I; it is a day
we can reflect on the soldiers in the past that have
lost their life fighting for our country.
– Sam Stewart

To me, ANZAC Day is about not only commemorating
those that served during the war, but is also a sign of
respect to those currently serving overseas and in
Australia.
– Thomas Greer

ANZAC day to me is the day to reflect and think about
family members that fought in the World Wars. It’s a
time to feel proud of the contribution my Uncles
played in these wars. It also a time to feel sad for the
men and women that never came home.
Lest we forget.
– Jo Hart

On this day, 25th of April 1915 thousands of troops landed for their first (and for some of them their
last) major war advance on the shores of Gallipoli in turkey. At this stage world war 1 was in full
swing with many people being shot and killed on both sides of the story. Back to those few thousand
Australian and New Zealand soldiers, they landed in their little crew boats and were sent onto the
shore of the Gallipoli peninsula many were killed before they even got out of the water. The soldiers
and many more fought for years on end with a countless amount killed in the trenches of no man’s
land on the Western Front.
Now for some people that don’t understand, I encourage you to have a look into to it because it is
more than just a public holiday where Essendon and Collingwood play every year in AFL. To most
Australian and New Zealanders it is much more, it is a day of peace, a day of thankfulness, a day of
memories of when your grandad told you stories about his experience in the wars. This day is a day
to say thank you to those thousands of soldiers who fought for our freedom. If it wasn’t for them we
might not be alive today, our beautiful land would have been conquered oh so many years ago and
none of us would have the freedom that we have today. I personally love attending the ANZAC
services to pay my respects to those who fought for us to live in peace and I am shattered that I
cannot attend a service this year, but trust me, I will have my own service with my dad and I sitting
around a fire pot listening to the bugle and then having our moment of silence. And I say to those
people who take it as just another day, it is not, it is a day of resilience, respect and thankfulness.
Thank you to the ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)
– Brodie Henery

What I think ANZAC means to me and
my family is that, it is a time to come
together remember and
commemorate the lives lost over
time, and to acknowledge what the
service men and women have done
for our beautiful country.
– Jayde Philpotts

ANZAC to me means a day were we all
remember the fallen soldiers that have
fought for our country
– Tye Aston

ANZAC Day is a special day. My Great Uncle Jack was a prisoner of war on the Thai/Burma Railway
during WW2. He only ever spoke about his war experience once after the war and that was with me
when I was in Year 12 (which is quite a while ago now). We needed to interview a WW2 veteran and
as part of a history assessment (impossible to do today!).
Uncle Jack’s wartime experience was heartbreaking and unimaginable. Regularly, risking his life, he
and a couple of his mates would find secret places in the camp to meet, pray and say the rosary. He
was a faithful man and he believed that it was his faith that kept him alive during his 3 years as a
POW.
Each year, I attend the ANZAC Day service in my local town and carry a photo of Uncle Jack with me.
He was a very special man.
– Rose Lee

ANZAC is a time we are to show our
respects to those fallen who fought for our
country with dignity and respect.
– Annika Zagami

In WWI, there were 20 million deaths and
62,000 of them came from Australia. WWI
started from M.A.N.I.A. (Militarism,
Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism and
Assassination). Each of these words in the
acronym are the reasons why WWI started.
WWI was originally called the Great War,
they chose the name Great because of how
big the war was in terms of conflict.

WWI started in 1914 and ended in 1918 on
November 11 because Germany signed an
armistice (a peace treaty) and that day
became Armistice Day. Over time the name
of the day changed to Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day is most commonly
embraced in Commonwealth member
states. Remembrance Day isn’t the only day
commemorated because of WWI, ANZAC
Day in Australia and New Zealand is
commemorated on the 25 of April. ANZAC
stands for Australia and New Zealand Army
Corps.

In Gallipoli, Turkey in 1915, there was a gruesome fight between Australia, New Zealand and Britain
against Turkey who was allied with Germany. As soon as Australia and their allies landed on the
beach, they straight away got shot from all angles and were instantly fallen, there were 8709 deaths
over the next 8 months. Turkey took that victory on the beach, but that didn’t stop Australia and our
Allies, because we fought it out all the way through to 1918 and won the war.
– Coopa Moss

To me, ANZAC Day is a very special day where we can remember our soldiers who fought in the war
and remember the sacrifices they made for us. It really makes me think about how it was back in war
time and it makes me really respect the soldiers who fought and died for us.
– Lilly Zelenko

ANZAC Day means a day of remembrance for all the soldiers who fought for our country in WW1 and
WW2.
– James Ralph

ANZAC Day to me is a day to commemorate what anyone in the military sacrifices for others. A time
to remember what the ANZACs went through.
– Milly Luchetta

John 15:13…Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
At dawn on this very different but beautiful ANZAC morning, we reflect upon and express our
heartfelt thanks for:
    •   the tragic sacrifice of the four police officers, who gave their lives in order to keep us safe in
        2020,
    •   the selfless sacrifice of the ANZACs in 1915, to secure the ongoing freedom of our nation,
        and
    •   the supreme sacrifice of our Lord Jesus 2000 years ago to secure our eternal life with our
        Heavenly Father.     Lest we forget.
– Jennifer

For me ANZAC Day is the importance of
recognising the thousands of men and
women who risked their lives for us, and
especially those that did not return home and
rest on foreign soil. I also remember and
thank those ongoing who serve today, some
of whom I know personally.
The spirit of ANZAC is one of mateship and
perseverance.
I've got this sign in my driveway.
– Tracey Lucas.

ANZAC means to me, that we should
acknowledge, and remember those who gave their lives in order to defend all of us, and to defend
their country. It means we should remember and honour their sacrifice, and it means we will never
forget what they did for us.
– Jorge Diprose

To me ANZAC Day is a day to remember the Australian and New Zealand army who fought in ww1
and ww2. To my family ANZAC Day is a day to remember all the Australians who died during ww1
and ww2.
– Lachlan Thompson

ANZAC day to me and my family is an important day marking a very important event in Australia's
history. These days it gives Australians the opportunity to celebrate and remember all those
that lost their lives in battle in order to give us the freedom we have today.
– Hayley Stevenson

To me ANZAC Day is a great way to respect
and honour the men and women from
Australia and New Zealand who risked and
gave their live to defend the people who
couldn’t defend themselves and to create a
future for us.
– Jack Simmons

It’s a time to remember all the relatives
who were in the wars, and for the people
who have given up their lives for war.
– Matthew Cole

Wide awake at 10 to 6 no alarm. Get
dressed then out the front door and onto
the road out the front. Quiet as out there,
low fog hanging around, neighbours ducks
quacking, dogs barking all over the place,
not mine for a change. Security lights start
flicking on up and down the road so I’m not
the only one out here. Cows are crunching
around the paddock opposite. Then from
who knows where the Last Post starts and
everything else seems to go quiet as the
haunting bugle takes over the morning.
Stand there for a while in contemplation
and wander back inside to the barely
audible strains of the Last post from over
Paynesville way.
Sitting inside now thinking what an amazing
commemoration of ANZAC Day.
Lest we forget.
– Chris Eaton

What ANZAC Day means to me is that we all come together and appreciate the ones who fought for
our country. What it means to our family is that we celebrate the land we live on and ANZAC is
important because we need to come together, remember and be thankful for those soldiers who
fought for us.
– Nikita Bull

So thankful for the sacrifices made by these sons and daughters of Australia. Thankful again that my
own brothers, sisters, son and daughters have lived in freedom because of the sacrifice they made.
Peace, too often, only comes at the price of conflict and violence – we need tolerance, patience and
respect for diversity.
– Josie Boland

ANZAC Day to me means, to remember and respect the people that fought for our country and to
respect what they did for us.
ANZAC Day is really important because without it we wouldn’t be so respectful and grateful for what
they did for us.
– Louisa Daly

For me the Spirit of ANZAC stands for everything we hold in the highest esteem within our Australian
society: mateship, loyalty, courage, endurance, ingenuity, perseverance, pride and an enthusiasm
for the freedom and way of life we enjoy in this wonderful country.
I will never forget walking the rocky cliffs and ravines of the Gallipoli Peninsula, stepping through a
quiet stone walled cemetery on the Greek Island of Lemnos where Australian nurses and soldiers
were buried side by side. Witnessing hundreds of softly green grassed Commonwealth War
Cemeteries dotted along the border of France and Belgium, tracing the long line of the Western
Front. Reading the epitaphs on the tombstones: ‘Loved by all who knew him’ and ‘Known only to
God’.
After listening to the haunting bugle call in the arched embrace of the Menin Gate at Ypres in the
gathering darkness, and walking in the remains of the trenches at Passchendaele, the service and
sacrifice of our Australian service men and women both past and present is burned into my memory.
To witness the seemingly endless gigantic memorial walls clothed in script, a script containing the
roll call of the lost boys of war; the names of our men and women who gave service to their country

Australia and never returned home. Some of those names belong to my own family: Charles Victor
Henley, Alfred Ernest Tuttleby, Thomas Leatherby, Frank Greet, Frank McGrath and Campbell
Affleck; these are names we have never forgotten. It is tragic to know that the thousands of names
on memorials belonged to someone who loved them dearly and mourned their loss.
Here in East Gippsland we have experienced a three year drought, cruel bushfires and an
unprecedented global health pandemic. Yet the Spirit of ANZAC is clearly alive and with us in April
2020 as we all work together to look after and protect one another and the vulnerable in our
community, yes that’s mateship. Our essential workers and other members of our Australian
community are demonstrating courage and endurance every day. Our loyalty to one another and the
ability to make the best of tough situations means we are simply working together for the good of
our nation, just as our ANZACs would ‘never own defeat’ neither will we.
On ANZAC Day my thoughts will be with the men of the HMAS Australia (which my father Jack Stowe
Henley served on in WW2) and other members of my family who have served our country. I will be
pausing to reflect on our service men and women, past and present who have served and continue
to serve our country in times of war and peace keeping operations. To them we owe our gratitude
and we acknowledge that the Spirit of ANZAC was their legacy to pass onto us.
I’ll be standing by my gate before dawn on April 25 keeping the flame alive.
–Julie Butt-Henley

Today we stand safe and free, clothed with all the privileges and rights of citizens in these great free
countries. And all these things - liberty, security, opportunity, the privileges of citizenship - we owe
to those men who fought, endured, suffered, and died for us and for their country. Their deeds and
their sacrifices gave us the invincible, the intangible, the Spirit of ANZAC.
– Colonel Arthur Burke OAM (Retd.)