Though born from the doomed campaign at Gallipoli, the Spirit of Anzac is not really about loss at all. It is about courage and endurance, duty, love of country, mateship, good humour and a sense of self worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds. (quote of former Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane, at the Australian War Memorial's Gallipoli exhibit)
April 25 marks the anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces (the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - ANZAC) in the First World War.
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| (published by Angus and Robertson, 2008) |
The Australian War Memorial's website says that "although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “Anzac legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future."
