***Tomorrow is Anzac Day! Ask me anything!(It's a big public holiday here)

[Random_Australian]

Holiday on the morrow, so I can stay up tonight.
Though half the responders are likely from mother England.

[meegbear]

1. Is Anzac like Prozac or Paxil?

[Random_Australian]

2. IT'S A WAR MEMORIAL!

It commemorates WWI and the Anzacs - which comes from 'Australia and New Zealand Army Corps'

Basically, take Normandy beach and then quintuple the danger and damage and let it go for years, and you have Gallipoli. (Place where they fought)

Ridiculous casualties. Anyway, it isn't a day of heroics and stuff, it is quiet rememberance - which I really, really prefer to all that high-and-mighty twaddle about heroic bravery adventure.

It's war. It sucks. But people gave their lives for it - in this case for almost no reason, but they still did. The motto of the day is 'Lest we forget', and there are beautiful poems read.

I cannot remember the entire main poem of the top of my head, though it is short and sweet. I do remember "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. With the going down of the sun and in the morning we shall remember them. Lest we forget".

Whatcha think?

[CBHagman]

8. Important link!

http://www.anzacday.org.au/education/tff/rememwords.html

The Ode
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.


The Ode comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and was published in London in The Winnowing Fan: Poems of the Great War in 1914. This verse, which became the Ode for the Returned and Services League, has been used in association with commemoration services in Australia since 1921.

[gollygee]

3. Do you have Anzac biscuits on Anzac day?

yummy :D

[Random_Australian]

4. And lamingtons! And pavlova! And vegemite! But not all together!

scrumptious. :D

[CBHagman]

5. What members of your family served?

And did they all come home?

My paternal grandfather served in France during WWI. :patriot:

[Random_Australian]

9. No idea! I know that both maternal grandparents are WWII vets,

but the rest of my family history is unknown to me.

[emmajane67]

6. I'm in Mother England but will be commemorating Anzac day

tomorrow.
No time off, but will go to a wreath laying ceremony.
I wanted to make it to Galipoli this year, hmm, maybe next year.
You may have guessed I am of antipodean persuasion also.

[Random_Australian]

10. ...

:toast:

Just checking, antipodean = ???

[emmajane67]

13. Antipodean = Hailing from the antipodes.

NZ and OZ basically.

[Patiod]

7. Whose got the better footy teams? Kiwis or Aussies?

Enjoy your holiday!

Oh - another question. Is "The Games" out on DVD? That has got to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and I'm sure we missed at least half the jokes because we're not Australian. Couldn't find anything at the ABC online website (except a lot of Wiggles and Little Britain stuff)

[emmajane67]

11. Don't start that!

You could get 'Brotown' out and miss half the jokes cos you're not kiwi.

[Patiod]

14. My favorite Kiwi story

I rented a beach house with a bunch of other girls, and one had a friend visiting who was a South African "yachtie" -- folks who travel the world crewing on yachts. The yachtie didn't want to go out with us to the bars because she was afraid of missing her boyfriend, a New Zealand yachtie who was due to arrive that evening at an unspecified time.

I said "don't worry about him - leave him a note telling him that we'll be at Fred's Tavern. Put in the note that they should ask bouncer to go get Pattie - I used to go out with him, and he'll know to come get me when they arrive"

So off to the bar we went.

Several hours later, an extremely proper, upright, preppie girl from our school approached me, and with a look of horror on her face she said "Uh, Pattie? There are a bunch of horrendously drunk guys out front wearing rainbow-colored fright wigs, and yelling 'The Kiwis are here!' and, um, they're asking for YOU." She was clearly appalled.

We made our way out front, and there were indeed several roaring-drunk, fright-wig-clad Kiwis out front yelling for me.

So the note was a good idea in that they found us easily. And a bad idea because I don't think it helped my reputation any back at school. The whole thing left me with a VERY strange impression of New Zealanders...

[emmajane67]

15. Yes, there are a few kiwis like that.

I am not one of them.
Whilst a lot of Kiwis are known to be boorish, sports-obsessed, drunkards a lot of kiwis are also know to be creative, talented, well cultured, great cooks, wine lovers, nature lovers, enterprising and very friendly, amongst other things.

[Random_Australian]

12. Yeah, it should be.