It's 5:15am and the clock alarm has just gone off. Whilst this may not be that surprising for a working day, this is not one of them. Today, as is the case across the rest of New Zealand and Australia, is a national holiday. As I slowly get out of bed and wander into the kitchen, still shrouded in darkness, I do wonder why I have risen so early. Surely I'd have been better off having laid in bed longer, after all I get up early enough every day?
And I have done just that on previous occasions, dozing in bed, half-awake, listening to the sounds emanating from the Auckland Domain just a kilometre or so away. You see today, as the title of this post suggests, is Anzac Day. A day of remembrance for those who served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, and a day on which across the country, dawn services are held to commemorate the occasion.
So today, rather than luxuriating in bed, we've got up, quietly got dressed (or at least as quietly as one can in a house with no carpets and little in the way of acoustic suppression) drank our tea/coffee and set off through the dark streets up the hill towards the Auckland Domain.
Even now, as we walk through the eerily quiet streets of Parnell, I am wondering whether this is something that I should be doing. Isn't this a day for Kiwis? What can I, as a British Citizen and a self confessed pacifist, add to the occasion? Is this really meant for me? I'd hate to impose. I decide, rather lazily, that as I'm out of bed and dressed, there's only one way to find out.
Slowly, as the streets give way to bushes and trees, we are joined by others and by the time we reach the top of the hill, and the illuminated Auckland Museum comes into view, it's clear that we are not alone. Not by a longshot. The museum and the sacred ground in front of it, is surrounded by a crowd of people, hundreds if not thousands, who have come to join the service. It is quite a sight and surrounded by darkness, the museum looks spectacular bathed in red light, as does the Skytower on the horizon.
But I'm still unsure as to whether I should be here......
I didn't have to wait long to find out.
Within moments of the service starting my thoughts turn to those in our family who sacrificed everything in the Great War and, as the Auckland Mayor Phil Goff so eloquently stated, fought for peace that they never got to experience themselves. It was then, just as a single tear rolled down my cheek, that I knew that I belonged at the service. Whilst those gathered spoke about New Zealander's and Australians that sacrificed their safety for the service of their country, I thought about others around the globe that, even as we stood there, were engaged in conflict on some foreign field, town city or sea.
And with that, came a feeling of frustration at the futility of it all. What's the point in fighting for peace only to find it given up so cheaply and with little thought of the lessons that history has taught us? I'm sure that if our ancestors could do so, they would turn up and clip us around the head for being so careless. And we would deserve it....and then some. Even from the relative safety of New Zealand, the world seems a much more unstable place and...... I'll stop there, I'm getting angry and this is not the time nor the place.
By the time the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern laid a wreath and the Last Post sounded across the field, my single tear had been joined by others and I'm thankful that I'm hidden by the cover of the darkness. But light isn't far away now, the sun is starting to rise over the Hauraki Gulf, silhouetting Rangitoto as it does and bringing the Tuis in the trees to song. As the last of the stars fade into the daylight, it's clear that it's going to be a lovely day and a smile breaks out across my face.
I had made the right choice, whats a few less hours out of bed. Besides, I can have a lie-in tomorrow. How does 6am sound? Perfect!
And I have done just that on previous occasions, dozing in bed, half-awake, listening to the sounds emanating from the Auckland Domain just a kilometre or so away. You see today, as the title of this post suggests, is Anzac Day. A day of remembrance for those who served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, and a day on which across the country, dawn services are held to commemorate the occasion.
So today, rather than luxuriating in bed, we've got up, quietly got dressed (or at least as quietly as one can in a house with no carpets and little in the way of acoustic suppression) drank our tea/coffee and set off through the dark streets up the hill towards the Auckland Domain.
Even now, as we walk through the eerily quiet streets of Parnell, I am wondering whether this is something that I should be doing. Isn't this a day for Kiwis? What can I, as a British Citizen and a self confessed pacifist, add to the occasion? Is this really meant for me? I'd hate to impose. I decide, rather lazily, that as I'm out of bed and dressed, there's only one way to find out.
Slowly, as the streets give way to bushes and trees, we are joined by others and by the time we reach the top of the hill, and the illuminated Auckland Museum comes into view, it's clear that we are not alone. Not by a longshot. The museum and the sacred ground in front of it, is surrounded by a crowd of people, hundreds if not thousands, who have come to join the service. It is quite a sight and surrounded by darkness, the museum looks spectacular bathed in red light, as does the Skytower on the horizon.
But I'm still unsure as to whether I should be here......
I didn't have to wait long to find out.
Within moments of the service starting my thoughts turn to those in our family who sacrificed everything in the Great War and, as the Auckland Mayor Phil Goff so eloquently stated, fought for peace that they never got to experience themselves. It was then, just as a single tear rolled down my cheek, that I knew that I belonged at the service. Whilst those gathered spoke about New Zealander's and Australians that sacrificed their safety for the service of their country, I thought about others around the globe that, even as we stood there, were engaged in conflict on some foreign field, town city or sea.
And with that, came a feeling of frustration at the futility of it all. What's the point in fighting for peace only to find it given up so cheaply and with little thought of the lessons that history has taught us? I'm sure that if our ancestors could do so, they would turn up and clip us around the head for being so careless. And we would deserve it....and then some. Even from the relative safety of New Zealand, the world seems a much more unstable place and...... I'll stop there, I'm getting angry and this is not the time nor the place.
By the time the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern laid a wreath and the Last Post sounded across the field, my single tear had been joined by others and I'm thankful that I'm hidden by the cover of the darkness. But light isn't far away now, the sun is starting to rise over the Hauraki Gulf, silhouetting Rangitoto as it does and bringing the Tuis in the trees to song. As the last of the stars fade into the daylight, it's clear that it's going to be a lovely day and a smile breaks out across my face.
I had made the right choice, whats a few less hours out of bed. Besides, I can have a lie-in tomorrow. How does 6am sound? Perfect!
No comments:
Post a Comment