Anzac Day

[praetoritevong]

The Aussies and NZers out there, myself and Coco amongst them, will know that today was Anzac Day today (Australia New Zealand Army Corps), and I just felt that it deserved a topic and notice here. This was the first time Aus/NZ troops had actually faced large scale fighting as nations, and on this day, in 1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, the ANZACs at what is now known at Anzac Cove. Though they were largely uninformed, unprepared and inexperienced, the soldiers fought there for several months, and today we remember and honour not only those who fought (and died) there, but all our soldiers who have fought since in various wars.

For anyone who does celebrate and honour this day, what did you do? Down here in Sydney we always has a big parade of war veterans through the city each year, which I went to, as well as a dawn service, which I also went to, and a service a little past noon as well (for all those 'dignitaries' who can't be buggered to wake up that early -.-;).



They shall grow not old, as we who 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.

Lest we forget.

[Coco]

My grandfather was a Anzac in world war 2 so i went to the Dawn service at Castle hill and afterwards we went and played Two up.

Two up is a game that used to be played by the Anzacs that is only legal to play on Anzac day.

[Gary Oak]

What it 'Two up'? Sounds fishy if it's illegal 364 days of the year.

[Coco]

Its a game where you flip two coins and bet on if it comes up both heads or tails. Some places use 3 coins so that there is no Head-tails draw. Just imagine a guy on a large table throwing coins in the air off a small wooden plank and 50+ drunken Australians running around going "TEN ON HEADS" or "TEN ON TAILS" this is followed by a mixture of groans and drunken whoops of joy. Its fun but best not to go overboard, one guy i saw lost $870.

[Gary Oak]

o.O

A game of heads or tails is ILLEGAL? I knew Australia had TERRIBLE censorship problems, but that takes the biccies.

[Coco]

Illigal to gamble on, if you manage to lose $870 once a year then im glad its Illigal. However the main focus for Anzac day is not games that are illigal, its for the thousands that went and fought for our country. My Grandfather who died in 2001 served in the air force in world war 2. He had a peice of shrapnel in his leg from the war until the day he died.