Greetings …

It seems impossible to not mention the fact that this coming Sunday is Anzac Day, a day of special significance in Australia and New Zealand.  While Anzac Day was originally designed to commemorate the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War, it has become something more.

Yes, it is a day when we remember the great loss of life and thank those who have served our country in this way, and I will probably attend one of our local services.  It is good to remember … but what is it that we choose to remember? As well as remembering those who lost their lives, do we remember those who returned home with the physical and mental scars of their time away?  Do we remember those who are voiceless victims of conflict?  Do we spare a thought for those whose lands have been ravaged and whose identity has been erased?

I sometimes feel that Anzac Day has become so significant to our national identity that it is loaded with ideas of mateship and self-sacrifice which are not always helpful.  I wonder why we wear events like this as a badge of honour, rather than take pride in the fact that Australia is home to the oldest surviving civilisation on earth, or that we were the second country in the world to give white women the vote and the first to allow them to stand for Parliament in 1092. 

Choosing to remember certain things means that we also choose to forget certain things (like the fact that it wasn’t until 1984 that all first nations people in Australia were finally treated like other voters and required to enrol and vote). 

So while we take time to remember this Anzac Day, let us also take the time to think about those things that we, as a nation, would rather choose to forget.  Let us also make the choice to live and work together to build communities founded on love, care and inclusiveness – a way of life modelled by Jesus.

Blessings – Heather.