Anzac Day 2007

Today is Anzac Day in New Zealand. It’s an important day for both New Zealand and Australia, for reasons I’ve discussed in AmeriNZ Podcast #4. All across the country there were dawn parades, community services and other events.

The stores were all closed by law until 1pm today, and there were no commercials on television this morning. TVNZ’s TV One had a full morning of Anzac Day programming.

I saw part of the wreath-laying at the national war memorial. I tuned in just before the German ambassador laid a wreath, and left just after the US Ambassador laid his. And it struck me how great it was to see former enemies together laying wreaths of remembrance at another country’s memorial. Maybe there’s some hope for the world yet.

Today, we went up to the local mall where we had butter chicken for lunch (I know, at a shopping mall—who’d have guessed they’d have the best around?). On the way home, I saw an old man leaving a bus stop, a row of medals pinned to his jacket, on his way back from a community service somewhere. Further along, I saw a young man in his crisp New Zealand Navy uniform walking down the road, heading back from a different ceremony. All over the place, people wore their RSA Poppies (pictured).

And yet, after 1pm the mercantile spirit was reawakened. Some store even extended their trading hours to make up for the four hours they lost this morning (which kind of defeats the purpose). And we see a store or two promoting an “Anzac Day Sale” though, curiously, these sales are usually several days long, despite the name.

It’s tempting to say that the old diggers didn’t risk their lives (or lose them) so people could engage in crash commercialism. But, in a sense, they did. Freedom also means the freedom to be crass and crude sometimes. The thing that’s most obvious about Anzac Day is that the general public remembers what day is actually all about. I think that’s quite something.