None of us were alive to see the valour of Gallipoli. None of us saw the horror of the Somme. Very few of us experienced the paralysing fear of falling bombs. We weren’t there to suffer the unrelenting heat, the mosquitos, the constant damp of jungle warfare. We don’t understand the physical and mental anguish that left our combatants with scars, both seen and unseen. And this ANZAC DAY we can’t even join together to acknowledge and show our gratitude for those who did.
But there are things we can do. We can fly our Australian flags; we can watch and listen to ANZAC services as they are broadcast, albeit with few participants. And we can also pause, dig deep into our hearts and, as we come to terms with our new life of physical separation, examine what were, and continue to be the qualities that can get us through these tough times: the true spirit of the ANZACs – Courage, Endurance, Mateship, and Sacrifice.
