ANZAC Day 2020

Photo c/o mch.govt.nz

This year's rallying cry is: Apart, but together as one!  A couple of years ago while I was still living in Hamilton, I had the privilege of experiencing and attending Cambridge High School's commemoration of ANZAC Day.  There was a slide presentation of the 35 Old Boys who did not return, the youngest at 16 and the oldest just over 40.  These volunteers were ordinary farm boys just like the rest from all over Aotearoa New Zealand who were at the prime of their youth.  In total an estimated 100,000 volunteered (10% of New Zealand's 1-million population then) to go to the Great War or also known as World War One.  It was called as such because it was supposed to be the war to end all wars.  Of this number 58,000 were either killed or injured.

The slide presentation was galvanizing.  I could feel the admiration and awe coming from the students and staff of the sacrifices made by these young boys.  I could also feel the collective Mana of these youth who laid down their lives, for us to enjoy the freedom that New Zealand is now experiencing.

Today is ANZAC Day, acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.  The day commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and also honors returned servicemen and women.  The Corps was created in the early years of the Great War of 1914-1918.  They first saw action at Gallipoli, Turkey on 25 April 1915.  Thousands lost their lives in the Gallipoli campaign: British, French, Turks, including 8,500 Australians and 2,721 Kiwis.  It may have been a military defeat for our forces but for many Kiwis from then on it was the wake up call for us to feel as an equal among nations.  The present-day ceremonies at dawn held at war memorials all over Aotearoa New Zealand or overseas has become a symbol, a rallying call for us, to continue the fight for justice and peace.

This year's ANZAC Day celebration will be totally different from the previous ones because of the Covid-19 virus.  There will be no coming together at dawn at the war memorials, standing silently and solemnly experiencing the stillness of the night as it was in 1915.  What is asked is for us to stand in silence at 6 a.m. to honor the men and women who served our country.  And since this is also a war we are fighting against Covid-19, our front-liners will also be honored.  Just when our veterans and servicemen and women have started to dwindle in their ranks because of age, their numbers have now been increased by the front-liners of the war against Covid-19.

I thank our front-liners, as well as these young boys from Cambridge and all over the country, who has made it possible for me to be in New Zealand, who has been instrumental for making New Zealand a truly great nation to live in, and who continue to serve as an inspiration for us all to give our best without counting the cost.  #StandAtDawn