The Press WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1968. Anzac Day

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31662, 24 April 1968, Page 16

The Press WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1968. Anzac Day

Few survivors of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought on the beaches at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, will be on parade tomorrow. Time, even more deadly than the machine-guns of the Turkish defenders, is thinning out the ranks of the Anzacs. Yet when the last of the veterans falls the tradition will remain. There is, in fact, more than one tradition which stems from that gallant landing—an enterprise which, like many other famous military encounters, earned its place in history through the valour of its contestants rather than the strategy of its planners. Australian and New Zealand troops, for the first time welded into one unit, proved themselves in combat against a nation with a military tradition, of a thousand years. The very word Anzac ” is protected now by law against commercial exploitation: the bonds of Anzac still reinforce claims for closer relations between the neighbours of the Tasman Sea. Even more remarkable were the bonds established between the invaders and the defenders of the soil of Gallipoli: for 50 years the Anzacs and the Turks exchanged visits on the anniversary of the battle—a form of commemoration possibly unique in the annals of military history. pie sale of poppies to be worn on Anzac Day remains a useful source of funds for many Returned Services’ Association branches and continues to provide many small luxuries for war veterans in hospital. The form of observance of Anzac Dav. altered only last year, is now virtually the same as in Australia. The day of mourning has been replaced by a day of commemoration. That public entertainments are now permitted in the afternoon and evening will be regretted by some: at least as many are likely to feel that this enlarged freedom is not out of place in the way of life which New Zealanders of two generations have fought to preserve.