ANZAC Day celebrated on 25th April

On 25 April, Australians will commemorate Anzac Day. Anzac Day is the day we remember those who died in all wars. ‘Anzac’ stands for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’.

When World War I broke out in 1914, Australia had only been a federation for 13 years, with a population of fewer than 5 million people. It was very much part of the British Empire, and so when Britain entered the war, Australia automatically joined as well.

On 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. The idea was to capture Gallipoli and from there, to take over Constantinople, which was the capital of Turkey at the time.

The Australian and New Zealand soldiers met very strong resistance from the Turkish soldiers and both sides suffered terrible casualties. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers died during this 8 month campaign and it had a profound effect on Australians back home.

As Australia was a young country with a small population, this loss of life became a defining point in its history, and from it, the Anzac legend of courage, mateship and sacrifice grew.

The first anniversary was held in 1916, and every year since then, Australians not only remember the lives lost at Gallipoli, but all those who have died in war.

A dawn service has been held every year since 1927. Initially this was a very simple ceremony involving veterans of the war to gather, remember and reflect on their experiences. Today, as all the veterans of World War 1 have passed away, the dawn service not only includes the family members of these veterans, but anybody else who wants to gather and pay their respects and reflect on the meaning of war.

It is a solemn and very moving occasion, as one of our DL students, Thi Son Ha, who attended a dawn service, wrote in a beautiful passage:

A MOMENT OF ANZAC DAY AT LAKE CARGELLIGO

In the wind, the voice from another world whispered "We remember you ....remember you ...remember you ....". Wind then stopped, sunshine didn’t move. Everyone looked beyond the other side of the lake, such as they tried to find some souls who came back in the cloud, in the sky or the water of the lake....The wave of the water on the bank of the lake could be counted as the beats of the hearts. A moment for all of you who sacrificed your life for the peace of this country as well as the world. "We remember you, remember you ....!" 

• Australians often use the word ‘mate’. How was 'mateship’ shown during the war?
• Do you have a similar celebration in your country? What happens on the day?
• What do you think is the best way to remember those who died in war?

Celebrating the Rio 2016 Olympics

The Refugee Team

Have you been following the Rio Olympics!

Which team are you supporting! Perhaps this is the first time you are cheering on the Australian team as well as the team from your own country of origin.

The Olympic games bring a lot of excitement beyond sporting competitions and medal tallies.  There are a lot of reasons to celebrate:

1. These are the first Olympic games to be hosted in the continent of South America so we congratulate our students from this part of the world, specially from Brazil.
2. To help taxi drivers in Brazil to communicate with tourists they were given free English lessons.
3. The Olympics unite people from across the globe with 205 participating countries and over 11,000 athletes.
4. There are over 70,000 volunteers who keep the Olympic spirit alive.
5. There are 10 Indigenous athletes on the Australian team.
6. This is the first time a team of refugee athletes competes in the Olympics. They include 2 swimmers from Syria, 5 track athletes from South Sudan, 2 judokas from Congo and a marathon runner from Ethiopia.
7. The “Laurel Award” was presented for the first time to “Kip Keino”, the two-time Olympic champion runner from Kenya, for his outstanding contribution to education and culture through sport.  After retiring from competition he opened a children’s home for 100 Kenyan orphans, a school in an isolated area for 300 children and a sports training centre for promising athletes in Kenya.

• What Rio Olympics moments, stories or facts have you found exciting?
• If you could join the Olympics as an athlete, what sport would you choose and why?
• The Rio Olympics cost over US$11 billion.  Do you think this spending is justified?  Why/why not?

Add your comments below.