Cowra High celebrates ANZAC Day
Special Assembly held
Anzac day is one of the most important days culturally for Australians. It was perhaps the moment that finally gave federated Australia an identity; something to rally behind and to be proud of. The 25 of April 1915 is often viewed as the day which Australia was born as a nation. The stories of heroic deeds performed by ANZAC service people were retold and immortalised in legend. We gather each year to pay our respects to those who have come before us and those who continue to fight today to ensure there is freedom for those who come after us. It is also a day where we have the opportunity to pause and reflect on the other aspects of our culture as a nation. Australia as an entity is not confined from 1901 to present. Before white settlement there are over 40 000 years of aboriginal history, Australian history, which exists and is passed down in similar ways to the legends of the ANZACs. But as we have seen in John Schumann's song, these aspects of Australian history and Australian culture are not mutually exclusive. The contributions which were made and continue to be made by aboriginal peoples, and people of all different backgrounds for that matter, to protect and preserve our country, are significant and something which it is paramount to recognise. We believe that Banjo Paterson's poem ‘We’re All Australian Now’ echoes this sentiment and we would like to share with you some of the most relevant points. While the poem was written in the time of a newly federated Australia, it transfers well into a modern context regarding acceptance and recognition of minority groups within our society.
So opens Paterson’s ‘open letter’ to Australian soldiers serving in WWI. Written in 1915, after the Gallipoli campaign had already begun to lodge itself in the consciousness of Australians, in Paterson’s words:
Australia takes her pen in hand,
To write a line to you,
To let you fellows understand,
How proud we are of you.
Through his lyrical evocation of Australian towns, Paterson brings together Australian servicemen from across Australia—From Broome to Hobson’s Bay—to make a firm statement of Australian unity in the wake of Federation:
We’re not State children any more
We’re all Australians now!
Evoking images of the Australian flag and the graves at Gallipoli, Paterson declares that through their actions, Australian servicemen have given Australians a history of our own.
On 25 April 1915 a new world was born. A new side of man's character was revealed. The Spirit of ANZAC was kindled. There was a determination, a zest, a drive which swept up from the beaches on the Gallipoli Peninsula as the ANZACs thrust forward with their torch of freedom.
As they fell, they threw those following the torch so their quest would maintain its momentum. That Torch of Freedom has continually been thrown from flailing hands, has kindled in the catchers' souls a zeal and desire for both our individual and our country's' liberty. That desire has been handed down with the memory and burns as brightly as the flame which first kindled it.
Our old world differences are dead,
Like weeds beneath the plough,
For English, Scotch, and Irish-bred,
They're all Australians now!
Many foundation ANZACs died, but their glorious challenge to catch the thrown torch shouts loud and strong to all. Their goal was freedom for the land they loved. It is the flame that burns forevermore in the heart of every true Australian. But the Spirit of ANZAC is not confined to the battlefield. It lives in the schools, on the sports fields, in fact all over Australia.
Today we stand safe and free, clothed with all the privileges and rights of citizens in these great free countries. And all these things - liberty, security, opportunity, the privileges of citizenship - we owe to those men who fought, endured, suffered, and died for us and for their country.
The poem talks of pride; of Australia being proud of our ANZACS. For us, this is the most important aspect of ANZAC day; pride. Pride in what we have as a country in terms of freedom and security. Pride in those which have ensured these conditions. Being proud makes us reflect on what we possess and we believe, forces us to recognise how this has been achieved. It also speaks volumes for collaboration, teamwork and of standing together. This message, on every ANZAC day, is just as important today as it was 100 years ago; the relevance is startling.
Alana Bush & Sam Long
If you are in town on Thursday 25 April, please meet us, in full school uniform, at 10:15am at the Cenotaph in front of the Services Club to join the march.