Anzac Day on April 25th is a national day of remembrance, commemorating the first landing of Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) troops in Gallipoli.
Since a young child, I have been part of an audience at Anzac Day ceremonies. Despite many lessons on the history of Anzac Day, I didn’t understand the significance of the event. I stood in a crowd at Kiama War Memorial, watching but not listening to the various speeches proceeding in front of me- the placement of wreaths, and speeches from veterans and the Municipal Council leaders.
I always took part in this ritual, not for the profound historic reasoning, but in order to bond with my family and community. This was one of my first experiences as a passive audience member, reflecting what Rebecca Wheatly implies that “children are passive readers of an Anzac mythology, unable or unwilling to question its complex history.”(2018, p35)
In contrast, my father, Garry Wilson, has a more profound view of Anzac Day. During Garry’s 10 years in the Royal Australian Navy, he attended Anzac ceremonies in Australia and other regions of the world. The most memorable of these experiences for my father was in Ambon in the Indonesian Archipelago in 1987. During WWII, the Army positioned a small force of Australians to defend this island, but unfortunately Japanese forces invaded and captured the Australian troops.
In 1987, the Army flew ex-prisoners of war (POW’s) to Ambon for the Anzac ceremony. On this day, my dad's role was in the catafalque party where he had to stand in ‘rest on your arms reversed’ position (refer to image below) during the entire ceremony. This was an incredible experience as he spent 3 days with the ex-POW’s and heard their stories first hand. It’s these memories that will always stay in my dad’s mind and heart and also shape his understanding of Anzac Day. This contrast shows how Anzac Day spurs an active audience of “older, traditional Australians who have old values of mateship, egalitarianism and loyalty”(Khan, 2017).
There is an obvious contrast in views on Anzac Day, reflecting a generational gap. Although such individuals such as my father find a large significance to this day, “some historians believe Anzac Day events are now on the decline”(Khan, 2017) resulting in an increase of passive audiences. Despite Anzac Day being educated at schools, many young Australians aren't actively engaging in its traditions. This could perhaps be an "expression of dissent" (Salom, 1996, p15), criticising Australia’s military history (Cubis, n.d) or the event may be alienating children as it's not relatable to the younger generations of Australia who have never experienced war. My personal experiences of Anzac Day reflect this passivity, as I watched and observed the memorial, without finding significance or making sense of it.
As my references have shown, it’s believed that there’s a decline in active audience observation for historic events such as Anzac day because of the younger generation’s disregard for historic meaning and rise of pacifism. This passive experience is explored through my encounter of Anzac Day ceremonies as a child, while my dad's memories allow him to be actively involved in the event. This displays not only the two perspectives in regard to Anzac Day but also shows how this ceremony and its audiences have developed over time, questioning how we can attain the active audience we once had.
