Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 07:08 pm, by: Jim Burrough(Jfb)
One of the most pleasing aspects of the Melbourne ANZAC Day parade through the city to the Shrine, a march which always has many of the watching crowd calling out "..Good on you, boys... Well done..." and the like, has been the increase in the last couple of years of people calling out or holding placards saying "..Thank you ". Particularly for those Australians and Kiwis who served in Vietnam (generally not by choice) and who received a pretty ordinary reception on returning home, it means a lot.
Friday, April 27, 2007 - 05:31 pm, by: Don Bagnall(Baggs)
One thing I noticed this year, were a LOT of young people (17 - 20yr olds) at the Dawn Parades.
It IS refreshing to see young people who's Dad's or Grand Dad's fought for our countries in Wars past.
We had some misguided "Young un's" burn a NZ flag on the steps of Parliament on ANZAC day, but once it was explained to them that their RIGHT to protest was only there because of what our for fathers had endured in the name of "Freedom", they changed their tune.
My Father was with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in WWII, and acquitted himself well in the face of the enemy, as have most, if not all who fought in WWII.
Thursday, May 03, 2007 - 05:57 pm, by: Alan Carter(Alky)
Don Bagnall wrote on Friday, April 27, 2007 - 05:31 pm:
My Father was with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in WWII,
As was my father. He served in North Africa & Italy. He was a despatch rider - a job nobody wanted as the enemy particularly targeted them & you didn't get the chance to shoot back. RIP.