02 May 2022
Mr Bradley Cook
Good morning esteemed guests, teachers and students.
ANZAC Day is a time to remember. It is a day when the country comes together to remember those men and women who served and died on foreign soil to ensure Australia remains a vibrant democracy. It is a day where we look inward and remember what it is about us as a nation, a commonwealth of people, that brings us together. Australia is a nation of immigrants and without immigrants we would not have the country we have today.
Let us remember that in 1914 when war broke out among the distant nations of Europe, it was Australians who answered the call to send troops to fight on die on foreign soil. This was the first time Australia, a commonwealth of states, sent soldiers to fight under a common flag. Many of the men and women who went on the ships to war spoke with a foreign accent. Most accents came from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales while some were from Lebanon or Syria. They were recent immigrants who enlisted to “defend the Empire”. Of the Australian born soldiers, many were the children of recent immigrants who had come to Australia as part of a post federation wave of immigration. These men and women had grown up with stories of a distant “homeland” or tales of the boat trip that bought their families to Australia. Together, these men and women formed the first Australian Imperial Force or the AIF.
The men and women of the AIF saw action in some of the bloodiest fighting the first world war had to offer. Landing at Gallipoli in the dawn light of 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand forces in a co-ordinated assault seized the beachhead and dug in while Turkish forces massed under the leadership of Kamal Ataturk. The gains made that morning were about as far as they ever reached. For the next 8 months they held their ground but failed to move further inland or seize any territory from a well organised Turkish force. In January 1916, with approximately 250,000 casualties on each side, the land campaign was abandoned, and the invasion force withdrawn. The Gallipoli campaign was a failure.
But that was not the end for many of those who survived. They were sent to the once green fields of the Western Front in Europe where they fought in places like the Somme, Bullecourt, Villes-Bretiner and Polygon Wood. They also fought the Turkish again. This time in the rocky fields of Palestine where on 31 October 1917, the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade undertook one of the last great cavalry charges on a fixed position when they assaulted the strategic town of Beersheba. The capture of Beersheba enabled British Empire forces to break the Turkish line near Gaza allowing fresh troops and supplies to pour into Palestine and end Turkish dominance in that region.
It is one of the quirks of history that WW1 is also known as the “war to end all wars”. This conflict was the start of century of warfare on an industrial scale. By 1938 the world was again at war. This time Australian sons and daughters fought the rise fascism in Europe before successfully defending our doorstep from a well-armed and trained Japanese force in the mountains of New Guinea. In 1950 we committed troops to push back communist forces streaming in from the north of the Korean peninsula. Between 1962 and 1972, Australian committed our sons and daughters to the jungles of Vietnam where they fought to again stop communism spreading through Southeast Asia. And from 2001 to 2021, Australian forces were deployed in Afghanistan where the undertook counter-insurgency operations in Uruzgan province in support of Dutch and US forces.
So today we pause to remember. We remember those men and women who served and died on foreign soil to ensure this immigrant nation of ours remains a vibrant democracy. We pause to remember that we live in peace and that peace comes with a price. Lest we forget.
Zachariah Libdy
Good morning staff, students and especially to our two special guests. Today we gather to remember those who have served to defend Australia. Before dawn on 25th of April 1915, the first soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand army corps landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. The men were part of a British and French led invasion. Their mission was to prevent naval ships from reaching and bombarding the Turkish capital, Constantinople. If they succeeded, Turkey might be forced out of the war and Germany would lose an important ally.
2,000 Australians were killed or wounded on the 25th of April. It was a day of confusion and fear. One soldier called it ‘a day of sorrow’ as he remembered the dead and wounded. The New Zealanders followed later in the day. For the next 8 months, the campaign was a stalemate. The Anzacs were evacuated. By then, about 8,700 Australians and almost 2,700 New Zealanders had been killed. There were at least 130,000 soldiers on both sides who lost their lives at Gallipoli.
Anzac Day has been one of the most important dates on Australia’s calendar since 1916. At first, it gave people a chance to honour the original Anzacs who fought in Gallipoli. Then, it became a day for those who served World War 1, World War 2 and other operations that followed. Anzac Day has become an occasion to honour all who have worn our country’s uniform in service.
Today, we reflect on that service. We recognise more than a hundred thousand Australian service men and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our country’s name. We honour the values that have been invested in the Anzacs. Loyalty, selflessness and courage.
Lest we forget
Delal Sogut
Good morning staff, students and especially our special guests. Before I start my speech I would like to show my respects to the traditional custodians of this land and extend my respects to all Aboriginals past, present and emerging.
The 25th of April 2022 marked the 104th time that we have come together as a nation to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice the ANZACs made for us. They gave up their tomorrows so that we can have our todays . We gather here, to remember those brave soldiers fighting for our country and our way of life. This war took place more than a century ago. It was called the war to end all wars and it will never be forgotten. Those fighting on the frontline were someone's husband, father, son, or brother. Their bodies will forever rest at Gallipoli in Turkey.
The conditions the ANZACS experienced were harsh. Wet muddy trenches where they stood for hours. Dark cold nights where they slept when they could. Lack of access to fresh food, clean clothes and water, but what had kept them resilient were the loved ones in their heart. The war was more than two sides fighting. It also showed the respect and humanity towards each other’s wounded and dead soldiers.. When the ANZACs and the Turks weren't fighting, their respect for each other was seen when they helped to carry fallen bodies. They showed humanity by exchanging food, letters and in some cases, nurses from opposite sides helped to nurse the wounds of the injured. This was a common practice that nowadays is no longer seen in battle.
Today most of us cannot be bothered going out on rainy days. These soldiers had walked and stood under the heavy rain for hours and even days worrying if they would ever have the chance to go back home and see loved ones.
We are very fortunate to be here in this country and under the Australian flag where we all can live under one flag without the worry of persecution or war. We acknowledge the sacrifices these brave ANZACS and families have made and we extend our respects to them. They would always be in our hearts.
LEST WE FORGET