A small ceremony in Armidale gave me new perspective on ANZAC Day. I’ve always understood it as a day to remember the fallen soldiers and the sacrifice they made for our countries. When in Bhutan, I began to see it as a day to look towards a peaceful future.
The service began at 9am, well after the traditional dawn start, but we still arrived late, hot on the heels of our hosts. Near us were the other holiday-makers staying at the same B&B – a Frenchman, an Indonesian and a German family wanting to immerse themselves in Australian culture. I was heartened to stand shoulder to shoulder at a service for a war our grandfathers fought against each other, all now forgiven.
Perhaps because we now have a female Prime Minister, this year’s service had a focus on women. The first speaker was a female minister and most who followed were women. And they spoke of ex-servicewomen where in past years they would have spoken of ex-servicemen. Even the tough old farmers seemed comfortable with this change of focus from the usual masculinity.
The minister gave me the new perspective. She saw ANZAC Day as a time to celebrate shared struggle. She likened the shared struggle of the people of the world in the recent earthquakes and bushfires to the spirit of the Anzacs. On this day, we remember the efforts of all soldiers, whether they fell or not, and – I like to think – no matter which side they fought on.
In a new twist, one of the speakers, a woman of course, gave the story of one of the local soldiers. Each year, apparently, this historian picks one of the soldiers whose name appears on the memorial and gives it a personality and a history. This year it was of Lt. W. H. Lane of the 53rd who was one of two brothers who gave their lives to the war.