They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
ANAZC Day is an opportunity for us to stop and remember the sacrifices of those who came before us. It is not to glorify war or fighting - in many ways it is the opposite, acknowledging the significant human impact of conflict, not just to history but even today.
I joined many locals at the Howick Dawn Ceremony on Stockade Hill. An incredible spot for the dawn ceremony, seeing the sun slowly rise over the Waitematā with tui warbling make this a truly special location and occasion.
This morning we heard about the service of two brothers, Sydney W Lord and John E Lord, both from Howick and memorialised on the cenotaph on Stockade Hill. Sydney was a runner, sadly missing in action and presumed dead in October 1917. His brother John was part of an artillery brigade at Gallipoli and the Somme, he sadly died of illness due to the terrible conditions in February 1917. My great-grandfather Allan Ramsey Wilson was also in an artillery brigade during these battles and I know from reading his journals the incredible bravery these men showed in the face of unbelievable horrors. It no doubt changed them, something we were reminded of this morning in the poignant essay from one of the local schools (will post once/if I can track down a copy).
I know that my great-grandfather was changed, both physically from the injuries he received but also emotionally and spiritually. Despite all of this, he signed up again two decades later to serve in the home-guard (the loss of an eye during WWI meant he was not able to be posted overseas).
We we reminded again this morning that while ANZAC Day is primarily to commemorate those who served in the Great War, we cannot forget those who have served since then. Many thousands of new veterans were created during our operations in Afghanistan, which only ended recently. As war rages in the Ukraine and in many other parts of the world, it is a sad remember that strife is not as far away as it should be and peace takes a lifelong commitment.
One of my younger brother’s is a ANZAC historian and Rowan wrote both his thesis and first book on the topic of how our commemoration of the day have changed over the generations. In the NZ Herald today, he notes how important the shared experiences and language of events like this are for society.
In fact, both [ANZAC and Waitangi Day] express important and diverse experiences of our past and how we make sense of it. Remembering the past is not about what happened in 1840 or 1915 so much as the needs of the present to make usable the past — and in doing, make survivable contemporary problems, and make possible the future.
If we want greater social cohesion, we need to draw on cultural scripts, rituals, and languages which we hold in common.