Posted on 04/25/2005 2:54:54 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
NINETY years after the Anzac legend was born, Australian troops from Gallipoli to Iraq have been remembered in a lavishly-produced dawn service at Anzac Cove.
As the sun rose over the cliffs behind North Beach to warm the backs of the 17,000-strong crowd, Prime Minister John Howard said the legacy forged by the Anzacs who charged the same beach in 1915 lived on. "It lives on in the valour and sacrifice of young men and women that ennoble Australia in our times," Mr Howard said.
"In the scrub of the Solomons, in the villages of Timor, in the desert of Iraq and the coast of Nias.
"It lives on in the nation's easy familiarity, in Australians looking after each other through courage and compassion in the face of adversity.
"So we dedicate ourselves at this hour, at this place, not just to the memory of Anzac but to its eternal place in the Australian soul."
Mr Howard was joined by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, the Prince of Wales and dignitaries and military figures from Turkey, France and India for the 90th anniversary commemoration, although Turkish Prime Minister Recep Ergodan did not attend.
A heavy security presence, including on the beach itself, watched over the dignitaries in the pre-dawn darkness that was shattered by glaring television lights and a light and sound show.
While paying tribute to the 8709 Australians who died at Gallipoli, and the 50,000-60,000 who served on the peninsula, Mr Howard also remembered the 2701 New Zealanders, 21,000 British, 15,000 French, 1358 Indian, 49 Newfoundlanders and 86,000 Turks who died in the campaign.
And he remembered all Australians who have died in war.
"We remember today the sense of Australian sacrifice more than 100,000 Australians who have died in war and for peace in our name from Villers Brettoneux to Tobruk to Long Tan to Afghanistan," he said.
Ms Clark meanwhile said "no joy can be found on the killing fields of Gallipoli", describing the campaign as a "tragedy" filled with carnage.
She hailed the "triumph of bravery, ingenuity and endurance" of Anzac troops who held on in the face of stiff Turkish resistance despite scarce supplies.
"It is our responsibility now to reflect on their sacrifice to make sure the world does not face the horrors that these men faced," she said.
Australians and New Zealanders, young backpackers and war veterans alike, mixed with Turks as friends as the bond between the countries forged in a battle that cost 130,000 lives in eight months continues to grow.
"We don't hate Australians and New Zealanders," Kursat Kizbaz said.
"We love New Zealanders and Australians. They fought against us but were brave and courageous and now they are our friends."
Turkish flags were waved alongside Australian and New Zealand standards among the crowd as the controversy over the new road at Anzac Cove was forgotten.
Mr Howard actually received a warm reception when he arrived at 4am.
Some bonds were reinforced, but New Zealand defence chief Air Marshall Bruce Ferguson revived the tension felt towards the British 90 years ago with several comments about the leadership that sent innocent Australians and New Zealanders to their deaths.
"It was joint warfare at its worst, at least on the British side," he said in his address as Prince Charles sat 3m away.
The Prince gave a reading and later laid a wreath alongside those of Mr Howard and Ms Clark, as did Australian Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.
Some of the crowd had arrived as early as 8.15am yesterday to secure a position and sit through a freezing night before the dawn service.
While the furore over the road carved into the side of the cliffs above Anzac Cove died down, many of the 17,000 pilgrims at the ceremony were appalled by pre-service entertainment that included the screening of videos of the Bee Gees hits.
"They've lost the plot," Jeff Lea from Sydney said.
"You don't need any entertainment, that's not what we're here for."
The entertainment continued after the Bee Gees in a more sombre tone.
A prelude to the dawn service featured the solemn sounds of a string quartet and didgeridoo, a poem by Rupert McCall, a short documentary on Gallipoli and the light and sound show.
The lights flooded the cliffs the Anzacs faced 90 years ago and cast an eery green glow on the Aegean Sea where HMAS Anzac patrolled just as her predecessors did when they were full of Anzac troops ready to land in 1915.
Mr Howard said the troops who landed on Gallipoli left Australia a lasting legacy.
"Those who fought here changed forever the way we see ourselves and our world," he said.
"They bequeath Australia a lasting sense of national identity."
LEST WE FORGET.
The ANZACS were brave and valiant soldiers. Anyone that has ever read about their heroics at Gallipoli will appreciate the extreme adversities under which they had to fight, and the sheer incompetence of the British high command that sent them there in the first place. Winston Churchill, who conceived of the plan, was literally run out of office (as 1st Lord of the Admiralty) because of the debacle and did not have any serious role in the British government again until he became Prime Minister in 1940, just as Hitler was launching his blitz.
Amen from across the Tasman. I went to this morning's dawn ceremony at the Auckland Domain and of the 5,000 people who braved the bitter coldness (autumn snap cold) it looked like I was the only non-European/Maori face. The service was good although I noticed most of the crowds never bothered even singing the national anthem!
Bee Gees!? I hope they didn't play Stayin Alive.
The Dardenelles was his idea but the implementation left a lot to be desired. Either way he had to take the fall.
CARVED STONE WALL OF ANZAC
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,
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away 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.
M. KEMAL ATATURK, 1934
O Lucky Country!
The last bastion of true conservatism.
With John Howard at the helm.
Having visited the place a few years ago, I remember how evocative the words were on the monument.
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