Anzac Day 2006

It looked like Anzac Day – dark, wet and bleak. Well, that’s what you get for 4:50 in the morning. Perhaps I shouldn’t have watched the footy until 11 o’clock last night but it did turn out to be too good a match to turn off. And last night we had also visited the library, borrowed several books and I had one that I couldn’t put down – “Clangers Bloomers and Blunders – Australian Style”.

They say that we get up early to pay our respects to those that have served and the fallen. I reckon it is more so that we can get a parking space somewhere near Kings Park. Gosh it is busy at that time of the day. I had to park in Hay Street in West Perth. Still, the early morning walk was invigorating.

Just before the dawn service began they had the lights on the War Memorial.

The rain didn’t stay away although during the dawn service at Kings Park there happened but a few spots. Luckily I took my broad-brimmed hat and jacket from Korea. I had been concerned that Australia wasn’t cold enough for my jacket, which was a great buy and extremely warm, but Anzac Day is the perfect opportunity to utilise it.

Silhouette of the War Memorial on Anzac Day 2006.

I was disappointed that there was no cannon fire after the minutes silence following the Last Post as it scares the bejeezus out of everybody. And a flypast as soon as the ceremony has been conducted occurred in past years and this was also missing.

I found Doug Webb’s speech, he’s a general or somesuch, quite good and very well presented. Apparently there were 30000 people in the park this morning. During the ceremony there was very little disruption except maybe a baby crying and some bloke near me sneezing quite a bit. Everyone was told to turn off their mobile phones though prior to the ceremony beginning. We were also given some background on how the build-up to World War II happened.

The names of all of the servicemen and women from Western Australia killed in action or who died from the effects of war service in the World War 1939-1945 are etched on bronze tablets beneath the War Memorial in Perth in Kings Park.

The Flame of Remembrance.

Quite busy at the War Memorial.

Definitely worth getting up for.

Peth sunrise on Anzac Day 2006.

We did get a flypast afterall.

After getting home and having breakfast we went for a walk together. I took us past the War Memorial on Albany Highway as I knew there would have been a service there as well and I wanted Yu-Jin to see the wreaths that had been left there so that we could talk about it. He is too little to take to a dawn service yet and it wouldn’t have done his cold a bit of good.

After the walk we went to the Museum in the city for a monster’s workshop. I had my doubt as to whether the museum would be open on a public holiday and it wasn’t. So we headed to Dome Coffee instead. By this stage it was raining quite steadily (yes, definitely Anzac Day) and the last thing we wanted was a long walk in the rain, therefore, we paid for parking. Yes, you heard correctly. Hot chocolate, ginger tea, blueberry muffin and blueberry Danish. Yum. And the rain continued on.

Home in time to watch Essendon vs. Collingwood – an Anzac Day tradition. Along with the rain, that is. No rain at the footy in Melbourne. Made for a nice change. Essendon bloody well lost though. Dammit.

After the disappointing end to the footy Yu-Jin and I went to the laundromat to dry the washing. It had been on the line all day, getting rinsed. We took a book called “Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths”. Quite a magical book and it passed the time very well. We’ve only covered the first 11 myths so far.

I feel like hitting the sack quite early tonight. Quite understandable really.