REMEMBER. A simple word with a whole depth of meaning on this day.
I was born in England where the emphasis of remembrance was on November 11, the day the Armistice was signed to end World War I in 1918.
It was a day of remembrance for all who served and died in the world wars and the conflicts which followed.
When I emigrated to Australia in 1989 I was presented with a complete shift in focus.
April 25 was the day to think of the deeds, the horror, pain and losses of war. And it was all about Gallipoli.
Even in my time in Australia, Anzac Day has grown into a national day that will one day leave Australia Day as just a memory.
In my opinion Anzac Day should broaden to remember all who served, in all conflicts.
The RSL is certainly in favour of this outlook.
This is not to belittle the deeds done on the beaches and rocks of Anzac Cove, more a recognition of the similar bravery seen elsewhere.
Eaglehawk man Lieutenant William Symons was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery at Lone Pine.
On instructions from a senior officer he was given a revolver and sent into a Turkish-held trench and told to retake it.
He did so, and despite the odds survived to tell the tale.
Barely 17 years later, 3BO radio announcer Royal Rudd signed up for aircrew duties in the Royal Australian Air Force.
By 1943 he was an air gunner in England, no revolver for him to fight his war. Rudd’s gun turret housed four machine guns.
That was not enough to save him and he died with his crew in June 1944 during an attack on rail yards in France.
Both men were volunteers, both men believed enough in Australia to cross the world and fight.
Both men were from this region.
Both deserve to be remembered.
So when you think of Anzac Day, extend the thought beyond Anzac Cove and the Dardenelles.
Think of those who survived Gallipoli and went on to fight on the Western Front in France.
Think of Korea and Vietnam, and the battlefields of World War II.
Think of those who fought and died on this day in 1918 and who helped retake the French village of Villers-Bretonneux.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I.
The losses were huge on both sides, but in the Australian Memorial Cemetery at Villers-Bretonneux there is a headstone inscription that stopped me in my tracks.
“An Australian Soldier of the Great war. Known Unto God.”
So far from home. Still missing.
Remember.