ANZAC Day 2015...

My 4 sisters and I travelled to Adelaide to attend the 100th Centenary ANZAC Day march, Saturday 25th April. My uncle Ray, who is 91 years old marches every year. This year he was joined by his 'little brother', Colin who is 82 years old, as his carer during the march.

Crowds lined the streets of Adelaide, from North Terrace then onto King William Street...

The river Torrens...

The march began with the SA Police mounted unit on their beautiful grey horses...

About half an hour through the march, here is Uncle Ray (second from right) and Uncle Colin (far right). Not many left in Ray's unit now...

A close up. Ray wears his medals while Colin wears those of his father, Edward Turner, on his right breast...

Cross of Sacrifice...

Ray, 91 years young!

In 1980, when their father passed away, the two men made a promise to march together in the 100th Centenary ANZAC Day march. Promise kept!

After the march, we joined Ray's family for lunch at a hotel. It was wonderful to catch up with our cousins that we hadn't seen for 6 years and more...

My Auntie Lynette (Colin's wife) and Auntie Betty (89), Ray and Colin's sister.

Brothers!

Betty and Ray...

...and here we are with our city cousins.

Back L to R - Julie, Sue, Tricia

Middle - Marilyn, Keith, Leanne

Front - Maxine, Janet, Janine.

 

L to R - Janine, Marilyn, Leanne, Joolz and Sue...

We had a great afternoon catching up. My sisters had to travel all the way home again (400kms south) so they were on the road by 4pm.

My sister Marilyn had great excitement when she got home - her pregnant daughter decided to go into labour early so she had an extra trip to Mount Gambier to meet her new grand son!

 

 

 

 

Posted by Joolz with Blogsy

Lest we forget...

Remembering my grandfather this Anzac Day, the 100th Centenary of the Gallipoli landing...

http://simplyjoolz.blogspot.com.au/2008/11/remembering-our-heros.html

 

"We're All Australians Now"

Australia takes her pen in hand

To write a line to you,

To let you fellows understand

How proud we are of you.

From shearing shed and cattle run,

From Broome to Hobson's Bay,

Each native-born Australian son

Stands straighter up today.

The man who used to "hump his drum",

On far-out Queensland runs

Is fighting side by side with some

Tasmanian farmer's sons.

The fisher-boys dropped sail and oar

To grimly stand the test,

Along that storm-swept Turkish shore,

With miners from the west.

The old state jealousies of yore

Are dead as Pharaoh's sow,

We're not State children any more --

We're all Australians now!

Our six-starred flag that used to fly

Half-shyly to the breeze,

Unknown where older nations ply

Their trade on foreign seas,

Flies out to meet the morning blue

With Vict'ry at the prow;

For that's the flag the Sydney flew,

The wide seas know it now!

The mettle that a race can show

Is proved with shot and steel,

And now we know what nations know

And feel what nations feel.

The honoured graves beneath the crest

Of Gaba Tepe hill

May hold our bravest and our best,

But we have brave men still.

With all our petty quarrels done,

Dissensions overthrown,

We have, through what you boys have done,

A history of our own.

Our old world diff'rences are dead,

Like weeds beneath the plough,

For English, Scotch, and Irish-bred,

They're all Australians now!

So now we'll toast the Third Brigade

That led Australia's van,

For never shall their glory fade

In minds Australian.

Fight on, fight on, unflinchingly,

Till right and justice reign.

Fight on, fight on, till Victory

Shall send you home again.

And with Australia's flag shall fly

A spray of wattle-bough

To symbolise our unity --

We're all Australians now.

- An open letter to the troops, 1915

A.B. Banjo Patterson

 

Posted by Joolz with Blogsy