What is Anzac Day ?

[PLFKING 4]

Hi all--
My calendar says that today is Anzac Day in New Zealand.....I've never heard of it. Anyone care to enlighten me, and help educate a poor country boy from North Carolina ?
The "Puzzled" PLF King

[skreamer 1]

Australia New Zealand Army Corps
It's a day held to commemorate all the Australians and New Zealanders who died in battle. Although it commemorates ALL kiwis and aussies who have died in the line of duty, it does date back to one specific day ; 25 April 1915. On that day the ANZACS landed at Gallipoli - they faced rough terrain and a well-fortified Turkish defence and took very heavy losses. It is still quite contentious because Churchill was one of the officers involved in sending the Antipodeans in as the spearhead.
South Africans have a similar memorial day (Delville Wood from the battle of the Somme) when we withstood the Germans for a very long time until they more or less flattened the forest around the South Africans. The handful of South Africans who survived marched out and were saluted by the German commander they surrendered to.
Will

[PalmettoTiger 1]

One of the saddest songs I've ever heard is "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda." It's about a soldier who gets his legs blown off in the Gallipoli assault. If there was ever a song to make you want to slit your wrists, it's this one - especially The Pogues' rendition.
Blues, squares,
PTiger

[skreamer 1]

The Pogues 'Fairytale of New York City' is still one of my all-time favourite sad, nostalgic songs. If you can find it, Shane McGowan's version of Sinatra's 'My Way' is great, really rough and gut wrenching (Nike used it as the soundtrack to one of their ads).
Yeah, the Pogues rock alright.
/s
PS there's a very early Mel Gibson movie (from when he was still living in Oz) called Gallipoli - find it, it's bloody brilliant and v. sad.

[skyhawk 2]

yep pretty much it our remembrance day when we celebrate our soldiers and as already said its set on Gallipoli a very interesting battle we where at the wrong place (no fault of our own) fighting againts a strong army against terrain that was a natural defence and pretty much wasted thousands of lives. it does end good though at the end we retreated with no loses through an ingenios idea (water conected to cans and the triggers of guns so the were set off at random. ) the turks didnt even know we had gone.
i suggest everyone should see the movie its old (i think its the one skreamer is talking about. the end is very very harsh

[PLFKING 4]

Thanks, Skreamer, for the explanation.........
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The PLF Khan

[Divadiver 0]

ANZAC - I thought it was a new pill for allergy suffers. Aewchue!!
Divadiver

[PLFKING 4]

Hey Diva ! What kind of trouble have you been into lately ?
The PLF Mayor

[Divadiver 0]

Trouble? Why Kingie, whatever do you speak of??
No troubles here, just working on a nice tan. Ever been to Ocracoke? You can fly in and land on the beach and well . . . . I'll just let you wonder about that coconut oil!!
Divadiver

[skreamer 1]

Hmmmmm, I bet that coconut oil tastes REALLY good as well...

/s

[huffermoose 0]

the last good aussie song i sang was 2 little boys by the king rolf harris.
chuckles his mrs and myself oh yeh and steve the packer where singing it at full volume in the pub up the road from langar right opposite the nags head.
quite an amusing night really!!!!
ttfn moose