Honouring our ANZAC’s

I was privileged enough this morning to go to the Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. Why do I say privileged? I just feel such a sense of pride for those who have fallen before me that to be there and feel the pride, honour, valour and courage makes me come alive and because of what the men and women of many wars have sacrificed, it is because of them I could stand there at all. Yep, privileged.


There was something different about this morning’s ceremony. In previous years, it had been around formalities and stopping to remember. Today’s was all that, plus some very touching personal stories about those who showed immense bravery, sacrifice and courage. A few stories that stick out for me was about a young boy who enrolled at 16 and when his mother threatened to dob him in for being too young. He said if she did, she would never see him again, such was his need to fight for his country. He went to war, she never saw him again. Another was about a dying Australian soldier who, after being shot by his enemy, called his enemy over and reached into his jacket to pull out a bible to give to him, then he died. Years later (a few generations actually) the enemy soldier lay on his own death bed in Germany. He asked his brother to go and fetch the bible and to send it back to the mother who gave it to her son. It made its way back to Australia to an elderly mother, the only gift she had ever bought her son. She then bought a new bible, wrote a note of thanks and a prayer that we shall never send our sons or daughters to war again.

These stories and more touched me and made me wonder about a few things. What are some of the things that you want to do and know you should, that could possibly be done before you are on your death bed? If you did that ‘thing’ earlier, could you enrich and fulfil the lives of others and touch them in some small way? What also is it that drives people to fulfil a need – like the boy who went to fight at 16? What was it about him that even though he knew it was dangerous, he still needed to go and fight the fight.

Just hearing that this morning prompted me to pick up the phone and call an old friend – just the small act made someone’s day. Funny that.

At work, what can you do to ‘make someone’s day’ when you might have been thinking of saying or doing something for a while, but the thought has never turned to action. Perhaps this blog will urge you to act, and when you do, you will enrich the lives of others.

Feels good, doesn’t it?