ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corp. ANZAC Day refers to the annual commemoration of those soldiers who died in foreign wars. Every year on April 25th, Australians and New Zealanders gather at dawn in their communities to remember the soldiers who died in Gallipoli, the first engagement of World War I.
This Anzac Day our Brisbane neighbor Karessa invited us to share the festivities with her family in Jindabyne. Located on the shore of a beautiful alpine lake, Jindabyne forms the entrance to the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. On Monday morning the three of us flew to Sydney, picked up her car, and then drove for 5 hours to reach her family home. There we met her mom, Irene (Idy) and her Step-Dad, Ian (Ruffy), and enjoyed two nights in their beautiful home high on a ridge outside of town.
We were up at 5 am to gather in the dark for the sunrise ceremony by the lake. It was late autumn and cold in the high country which made the dawn commemoration even more solemn. At 9 am, a formal parade of military vehicles, horses, veterans and active duty, and the local school children formed in town and marched back to the memorial park. The service included the reading of the names of soldiers from Jindabyne who were killed in all the wars since WWI. It was very stirring to hear their names. The crowd of several hundred concluded by singing the National anthems of New Zealand and Australia. Our host Ruffy led the services as the Australian Air Force helicopters flew overhead. It was a great privilege for us to participate in such a special and moving event. Thank you, Karessa and family, for including us!
