Library News
ANZAC Day 2022
What does ANZAC stand for?
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became know as Anzacs, and the pride they took in that name endure to the present day.
What is ANZAC Day?
Anzac Day, 25 April 2022, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War (WWI).
Why did ANZAC day start?
When war broke out in 1914 Australia had only been a federated nation for 13 years, and the federal government was eager to establish a reputation amongst nations of the world. Then Britain declared war in August 1914, so Australia was automatically placed on the side of the Commonwealth. In 1915 Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula to open up the Dardanelles to the allied navies and their ships. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire ( now Turkey), an ally of Germany who was at war with Britain.
ANZAC Day Traditions
During the 1920’s Anzac Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the more than 60,000 Australians who died during World War One. In 1927, for the first time, every state observed some form of public holiday on Anzac Day. By the mid-1930’s all the ritual we now associate with the day – dawn vigils and services, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games – were firmly established as part of the Anzac Day culture across our nation.
Late on after World War Two, Anzac Day served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in the Second World War (WWII). In the following years, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Afghanistan War changed the meaning of the day to include all those who lost their lives in all the military and peacekeeping operations in which Australia has been involved. At Cranbourne Campus this year the school library display has a World War One focus.
