My grandfather served as an Infantry re-inforcement to Gallipoli, landing in May. He lasted 6 weeks before being evacuated with enteric fever (Typhoid). He told us that he remembers wakeing up in Alexandria (Egypt) and that the only vegetable they had for 6 weeks was Turnips. He went on to serve in europe on the Western front where far more Australians and New Zealanders lost their lives.

Gallipoli was an incredible military failure, but has come to symbolise our (Australian and NZ) birth as a nation where we could independently say, we did that, without the shadow of another world power falling over us.

It should not have the importance that it does. As humans we mark events with ceremonies and ANZAC day has become a ceremony for New Zealanders and Australians.

My son plans to be the fourth generation of regular army enlistees. It is just something that we appreciate as a nation of convicts who have had to build everything from scratch, starting with nothing and then having to prove ourselves, every step of the way, militarily and culturally.