COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS ON WHAT ANZAC DAY REPRESENTS

On a day when the nation is asked to reflect and remember the sacrifices of Australian and New Zealand forces, NBN caught up with some locals who attended services at Civic Park in Newcastle to find out what ANZAC day means to them.

GARY ROBERTS
Vietnam Veteran

“It means everything, I lost friends, both killed and wounded, and I can relate in a small way to the ANZAC’s and what that meant to those fellas. And of course what it meant to each nation, Australia and New Zealand.”

Do you find it encouraging that there is still a large presence at ANZAC ceremonies?
“I’ve been going to the Wallsend RSL since 1969, I haven’t missed a service there, and I’d say in the last 10 years, at least, it has been growing each year and it’s a lot of young people. And I’d say this morning it would have been the largest we’ve had in all those years. It’s certainly encouraging to think that younger ones taking it up. I know that there are people that have been to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor, to carry on the tradition, although nobody wants to go to war we’ve got to protect ourselves.”

SHARON & MIRIAM CSANKI

What does ANZAC day mean to you Sharon?

” When I think of today I think of not only those who have actively served, I think of everyone who has contributed in some way, whether that be people who have been at home, families, workers, administrative staff in the armed forces, everybody who lived through the war, any war, has contributed in some way.”

And for you Miriam? “the people who have tried to save our country.”

GEORGE BANFIELD, 94
World War Two Veteran.

“It means a lot of my mates that I have lost.”
“I think it’s great that it’s getting bigger and bigger every year.”

MARIA ROBERTS

“It’s really important to see all the older people come out and express their feelings at the service, it’s so moving and I think it’s just a day when everyone comes together in a really rare special way, it’s really beautiful.”

JULIUS ROBERTS, 13
“It represents all the people who have died in war, and who were part of the war.”

GLORIA & JOHN BOOTH

“It’s always a recognition of what our ancestors have done, what the servicemen did. We have been to Belgium and France and we have been in the trenches that they had and we’ve seen some of the photographs and seen a lot of the battlefield and its a very, very moving experience. ”

“It takes you back to what we saw then, my husband had a Great Uncle who died in that war and I had a Great Uncle that fought in that war, he was a gunner, he was fortunate he survived.”