Introduction
WE HAVE LEARNT WHO THE ANZACS WERE AND WHAT THEIR LIVES WERE LIKE.
WE HAVE WATCHED A CLIP OF THE LAST POST CEREMONY AT THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL AND MANY OF US HAVE ATTENDED LOCAL SERVICES.
TODAYS QUESTION IS HOW AND WHY ARE THE ANZACS REMEMBERED.
Task
watch this clip about the last post
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1172051/the-going-down-of-the-sun
watch this clip about why people remember on Anzac Day
http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1172029/the-meaning-of-anzac-day
for students who have not attended a march watch the following
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQWQdkgho60
Click on this link to learn about some of the symbols and traditions
http://www.rowanramsey.com.au/Portals/0/RamseyANZACDayBrochure_2013.pdf
Process
Read the following information and complete fact sheet
Traditions and rituals of Anzac Day
While there were no specific traditions and rituals to begin with, by the late 1920s, most of those that we now associate with Anzac Day had developed in one form or another. The manner in which Australians and New Zealanders observe this day has continued to evolve, and will continue to do so as the veteran and wider communities change further.
The dawn service
The first commemorative event of Anzac Day is the dawn service at 4.30 am. This is about the time men of the ANZAC approached the Gallipoli beach. However, the origin is the traditional ‘stand-to’, in which troops would be woken so that by the first rays of dawn they were in position and alert, in case of an enemy attack in the eerie half-light. It is a ritual and a moment remembered by many veterans.
The simple ceremony was for veterans to assemble before dawn for ‘stand-to’ and two minutes of silence. Nowadays, all are welcome, and the dawn service has grown in popularity and in meaning for the community.
Anzac Day march
From cities to small towns, the march has long been the centrepiece of Anzac Day. Marches were held during the Great War, and became popular with veterans in the 1920s, to honour lost friends and publicly express comradeship. The RSL organises the marches. While it was traditional for veterans who saw active service, it was later relaxed to include those who served in Australia in the armed services or ‘land armies’, during the Second World War. It has been relaxed further, with some encouragement or acceptance of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren marching, to assist aged veterans or to represent those no longer with us.
Wearing medals
Only the person awarded or issued medals may claim those medals as his or her own. He or she wears the medals on their left breast. Others (those who did not earn the medals) may honour the service of a relative by wearing medals on the right breast. Some veterans may be seen wearing medals on both breasts—their own on the left, and a relative’s on the right.
Wearing rosemary
Rosemary is an emblem of remembrance. It is traditional on Anzac Day to wear a sprig of rosemary pinned to a coat lapel or to the breast (it does not matter which side, but left seems most common), or held in place by medals. Rosemary has particular significance for Australians on Anzac Day as it grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Laying a wreath or flowers
A wreath or a small bunch of flowers is traditionally laid on memorials or graves in memory of the dead. They might contain laurel, a traditional symbol of honour, and rosemary, or they may be native or other flowers. In recent years, it has also become popular to lay a wreath of red poppies—formerly associated with Remembrance Day, 11 November. Any of these wreaths or flowers are acceptable as a gesture of remembrance.
The Ode
The Ode comes from the fourth stanza of the poem ‘For the Fallen’ by the English poet and writer, Laurence Binyon. It was published in London in The Winnowing Fan: Poems of the Great War in 1914. It was used in association with commemorative services in Australia by 1921.
The Ode
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
At the Anzac Day ceremony, an invited speaker often recites The Ode and upon his or her completion of the recitation, those present repeat the last words ‘We will remember them’. After a short pause this is followed by ‘Lest we forget’.
The Last Post
This is one of a number of bugle calls in the military tradition to mark phases of the day. Traditionally, it marked the ending of a day. The Last Post was incorporated into funeral and memorial services as a final farewell, and symbolises that the duty of the dead is over and that they can rest in peace. On Anzac Day, it is followed by one or two minutes of silence, then a second bugle call, Reveille (also known as The Rouse).
Evaluation
COMPLETE YOUR FACT SHEET WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE SYMBOLS AND TRADITIONS OF ANZAC DAY