Posted on 03/06/2010 5:11:57 PM PST by myknowledge
NSW is under pressure to ban children from marching alongside their fathers and grandfathers in the Anzac Day parade because they outnumber veterans by almost seven-to-one.
New rules introduced by Brisbane's Anzac Day organisers for this year's main march bar the descendants of Anzacs from participating to "preserve the dignity" of the event.
Organisers said the change was necessary to avoid the march becoming like Sydney's parade last year.
"Last year in Sydney there were 1000 World War II veterans and 7000 descendants. It got to the stage where the veterans can't be recognised for the descendants," said Queensland committee chairman John Strachan yesterday.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytelegraph.com.au ...
Now that ain't fair to the descendants of deceased war veterans not to march for their fathers, grandfathers and great uncles.
Seriously, it's PC gone mad.
I think it would be precious for the men to march surrounded by all their progeny, kids, grandkids, great-grandkids. Why not. I think its pretty obvious which ones are the ninety year olds.
That isn’t so much the problem, it’s the people marching with the medals of a deceased veteran. They now outnumber actual veterans marching by five to one or so. And some of them are old enough that a lot of people may genuinely think the medals are theirs.
Here’s a thought, allow the relatives to march, but require the medals for a deceased veteran to be carried, mounted on a plaque or similar object. That would eliminate the confusion.
It’s actually considered acceptable in Australia to wear the medals of a deceased immediate relative on the right breast (as opposed to the left where only the holder should wear them). When that’s observed there’s little confusion, but some people don’t know the rules, and some people may even try to exploit that.
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