LEST we forget.
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Those three words are synonymous with Anzac Day and its traditions of biting cold and sometimes damp dawn services, bugle players, marches with ever thinning ranks of war veterans.
And for many younger Australians, whose imaginations struggle to comprehend the enormity of war and the experiences of ex-servicemen and women, some still aged in their teenage years, in a far different country we live in today than a century ago, ‘‘Lest we forget’’ has generally meant we simply cannot forget their sacrifices and courage.
Today, we will remember them.
Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the beaches of Gallipoli 102 years ago. More than 8000 Australians, including many from across central Victoria, died in that battle. The Gallipoli campaign could only be described as a military failure of epic proportions, but the actions of Australian and their New Zealand comrades were heroic and forged a powerful legacy we hold dear more than a century later.
Powerful reminders of the fallen understandably occupy prominent places in our communities and many of these sites will today play host to some of the biggest gatherings across our region.
There is no other day on the calendar that conveys so profoundly the values we, as Australians, hold dear. More and more are coming together to attend services across our nation, and central Victoria will be no exception.
We do this not out of mere tradition or a hollow sense of obligation – but to pay tribute to the brave men and women who sacrificed so much in far-off theatres of conflict.
As each year passes the direct links between the past and present inevitably fade. Australia’s last remaining WWI soldier, John Ross, passed away in a Bendigo nursing home in 2009 and surviving WWII veterans are small in number.
With fewer ex-servicemen left to tell their stories first-hand, it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure their sacrifices are not forgotten. War should never be glamourised. It is ugly, bloody and – as history and hindsight have demonstrated – so often avoidable. Yet the legacy of those who have fought for our country must be preserved.
By keeping alive the spirit of the Anzacs, we honour the sacrifices they made to ensure the freedom and lifestyle we enjoy today.