Memorial Garden in Prins Willem Alexander Village

Volunteers at Prins Willem Alexander Village are often involved in making their village a more interesting place to live.  Apart from the regular activities, they also get involved in some special projects and even organize the fundraising for these projects.  Since we have some veterans in the village, a suggestion was made to create a special place for remembrance.  A memorial garden within the garden near the aged care facility was created.  Two flag poles were purchased and installed, as well as a paved area and a memorial stone for which a bronze memorial plaque was created to honour all war veterans.  A lot of appreciation has already been shown for the new memorial garden and it will be our place of remembrance during our dawn service on Anzac Day.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”. It is observed on April 25th each year, which marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. The day is marked by dawn services, commemorative marches, and remembrance services.

The Gallipoli campaign of 1915 was the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The objective of the campaign was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during World War. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied deaths totalled over 56,000, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand

The Dawn Service is a public ceremony that is usually conducted on Anzac Day by the Returned and Services League of Australia with involvement from all three services of the Australian Defence Force. The origins of the Dawn Service are not entirely clear, but it is believed to have originated as a way to commemorate the landing of the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. The half-light of dawn was one of the most favoured times for an attack during the First World War, and soldiers in defensive positions were woken in the dark before dawn, so they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons before first light ¹. The Dawn Service is conducted as part of Anzac Day ceremonies to honour those who have fallen in battle.