This ANZAC Day, there will be no marches, no crowds gathering in solemn silence at dawn ceremonies around Australia and New Zealand.
We must stay home. We must keep our community safe, while acknowledging the servicemen and servicewomen who, over more than a century, have risked and lost their lives to do the same.
While commemorations will certainly look different this April 25, there are still ways you can take part.
The call to ‘Light up the Dawn’.
The Returned Services League, a nationwide organisation that supports veterans and their families, is calling on Australians to ‘light up the dawn’ by holding their own services at home.
The Returned Services League is asking you to #LightUpTheDawn this ANZAC Day.
It is asking those who wish to take part to stand at the end of their driveway, on their balcony or porch, or in their living room, at 6 a.m. on Saturday and remember all those who have served and sacrificed.
The RSL has produced a commemorative dawn ceremony, which people can download and listen to during their at-home service. It includes an acknowledgment of country, The Ode read by RSL Queensland President Tony Ferris, The Last Post and Reveille performed by the Australian Army Band Brisbane, a minute’s silence, and the national anthems of Australia and New Zealand.
Click here to download.
“Nothing can ever take away the importance of ANZAC Day or our values of mateship and camaraderie as we honour our service personnel and show our ANZAC Spirit,” said Ray James, Acting President RSL NSW.
“Now is the time for all of us to show our ANZAC Spirit, including ingenuity, and we welcome the many and varied ideas that have been embraced by the community. Any activity that respectfully shows commemoration and thanks is most welcome.”
Here are some other suggestions from the RSL.
Other ways to commemorate ANZAC Day 2020.
Tune in to live services and virtual commemorative services.
The national service and select state services will still be going ahead with a strictly limited number of attendees, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, Governor-General David Hurley and members of the Australian Defence Force.
The national service from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra will be broadcast from ABC TV and available to stream on ABC iView and the Australian War Memorial website from 5:00 a.m.
Reach out to a veteran.
Older members of our community are particularly vulnerable right now, so if you know an older veteran who is self-isolating or doesn’t have any loved ones around, reach out: offer to do their shopping, mow their lawn or even just give them a call and have a chat.
Recite The Ode.
The Ode, the poem traditionally recited at ANZAC Day commemorations, is the fourth stanza of Laurence Binyon’s For the Fallen, which was first published in the London Times in 1914.
On ANZAC Day, take a moment to recite it to yourself or with your family.
They shall grow not old, as we that 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.
Bake ANZAC biscuits.
Most Aussie families have the ‘perfect’ recipe. But trust us, this one is worth a try.
Plant some rosemary.
Rosemary has long been a traditional symbol of remembrance for ANZAC Day. The story goes that a wounded Digger brought home a small rosemary bush from ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli, which was planted in the grounds of the Army Hospital at Keswick, South Australia. Cuttings from this original plant were taken and propagated in nurseries all over Australia, and sprigs of rosemary are worn to this day by attendees at ANZAC Day ceremonies.
This year, plant a bush in your garden or a pot. Each year on ANZAC and Remembrance Day you can pin a sprig to your lapel or make a commemorative wreath.
Donate to the RSL ANZAC Day appeal.
Help the RSL provide ongoing support to veterans, by making a donation to the ANZAC Appeal.
Lest we forget.
READ MORE:
- These are the women we will be thinking about this ANZAC Day.
- Bake the best ANZAC biscuits known to humankind. Guaranteed.
- 78 years ago, Vivian Bullwinkel’s colleagues were marched into the ocean and massacred.
Feature image: Getty.