Do the younger generations of Australians appreciate the significance of ANZAC Day?

Question

Will the tradition start to die out?

Answer 1

no not if they keep making such a big deal out it they wont. and so it should die out it is very important to remember...

Answer 2

If you talk about the younger generation who leave high school and head off to workplace/tertiary studies where there is little or no re-education about ANZAC day then obviously the appreciation will decrease.

Perhaps if the government advertised more about it on the TV then it might be as significant as Australia Day.

There should definitely be respect for ANZAC Day as not another day off work.

It's a day to remember the many thousands who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

I don't believe that the tradition will ever die out.

But tradition is definitely undergoing change in the way people perceive the world and war issues today.

Answer 3

Your question is an excellant question .... but just a bit of back-ground ....

I was listening to the radio yesterday afternoon as they discussed ANZAC Day... In the late 1960's ... when the public Opinion was growing against Australia's involvement in Vietnam ... ANZAC Day marches' attendences were at their lowest ebb. One year's Dawn Service in Melbourne had an attendance of only 3,000 people ... Today .. it is not unusual to get 30,000+ .

In Time .. and I am talking many decades , perhaps even a century or two ( remembering the importance the American's place on July 4th ) ... perhaps the days significance will start to fade ... but i Honestly hope not ... because the day is such a part of our being.
It is not a day that should ever be considered as something that Glorifies war .. but in fact the complete opposite .. the fact that the Gallipoli campaign was such a waste of time and life .. FOR BOTH sides ... should enforce that...
What ANZAC day commerates is the strength of mateship in the most adverse of conditions.It commemorates the fact that though we can be at war .. we can have a respect for our enemies as human beings ( read a book by Les Carlyon called Gallipoli ...) the Turks and the ANZACS had a great admiration for one another's bravery. The Gallipoli campaign as I already wrote was , a complete waste ...( though some can argue aren't all battles) of time .. over such a small area ..the most successful part of the campaign was the evacuation .. that took place without a single loss of life...
BUT we should remember the bravery, the youth , the idealism , the sacrifice and NEVER FORGET..

One of the things i enjoy most about the ANZAC Day March is the ever diversing cultural mix in the crowd ... I'm hardly what you can call an overly patriotic person .. BUT on ANZAC Day ... I am more humbled by the fact that I was lucky enough to be born in Australia .. than any other day.

sorry to ramble .. It's just that THIS , to me, is our MOST important holiday on the calendar.

Answer 4

I think so. There is less respect shown to elders these days, however when you look at the crowds in the cities who go to the dawn service and watch the Anzac Day march, and how many children and young people are there, the tradition is still strong. I hope children are being taught about what the diggers did for us, and that people remember all the wars. It is also up to parents to teach their children about it. I hope that there is no tolerance of disrespect for Anzac Day and what it stands for - but also, that Australians try to remember the Anzacs every day and what they risked their lives and laid down their lives for. It is also important that Australians show respect to the servicemen and women of today, even if they don't believe in what our leaders have sent them overseas for, this has not always happened in the past and is shameful I think.

Answer 5

Greeings from Britain!

I'd just like to let you know that many of us over here (the British, that is, not just Australian immigrants) fully appreciate the gravity of ANZAC Day and the efforts of the veterans of New Zealand and Australia during WW1 and beyond.

Many of us here have relatives who fought alongside your countrymen, and my great-Grandfather himself was killed at Gallipoli. Certainly this campaign will not be forgotten in the UK and our (ever dwindling) veterans are very highly honoured, as I am sure they are with you. We all owe them such a debt as can never really be repaid; they gave so much for our freedom and saw nightmares that young people never should.

So in answer to your question (although I know being British I'm not entirely valid here!) I think that the younger generations will always appreciate ANZAC Day as long as live on not just in schools, but in the memories and stories of their parents.

It's a sad reflection that as each generation of veterans dies out, another will take their place.

Hope this helps, and once more can I (and my friends) offer all the ANZAC veterans our sincere gratitude for their services to our way of life.

Answer 6

Yes I think the younger generation of Australians are very attuned to the real meaning of ANZAC day. I think it's the politicians that get a bit confused. The ANZACS were a very irreverent bunch of kids, always up for a bit of fun. They were also, of course, deadly soldiers. I remember reading where a British commander said "It's good having the Australians in support ... we might lose a couple of horses now and then but we are safe"

Answer 7

I don't think the younger generations do.....speaking as a person of youth I notice that most of the people in my school see it as a day off, just another holiday. When we had an ANZAC ceremony to day most of them saw it as a chance to get out of work and some even talked through it. I think this is disrespectful personally. Most of them won't even give it a moments' thought on the actual day which is sad. I guess no one can truly understand what the ANZAC day represents or the people who sacrificed themselves without experiencing it themselves.

Answer 8

yes, I think some young people do. Others are ignorant! more people have been attending ANZAC parades recently than in past years. I had to write a news story on our local ANZAC parade last year, and their were more kids there than diggers. It's important that we don't let it die out. that's why the ANZAC day slogan is "lest we forget", because once we forget we allow these kind of things to happen again.

Answer 9

I'm 24 and i appreciate it significantly and become quite emotional every anzac day or when im at the RSL and every night at 6pm we stand for a minutes silence. i will instill the spirit of the anzacs into my children and their friends. Perhaps it means more to me because i had 4 family members fight in WW2 and i appreciate the significance because of the horrific stories i've heard. I dont think it will ever die, so long as people learn how Australia maintained its freedom through the anzacs. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM, LEST WE FORGET!

Answer 10

As an old fart in my fifties, the significance of ANZAC is to remember the sacrifice but not glorify the war. It seems to me that the emphasis is shifting to a be more about patriotism, and less about remembering the dead. I hear old Diggers say that the one thing they want to emphasise to young people is that war should be avoided. To me, that is the message of ANZAC. It is not a time to proclaim the greatness of Australia (and NZ). ANZAC Day should be humbling, not triumphal.

Answer 11

I hope it doesn't die out. The significance should be taught in schools so the younger generations appreciate the day. Unfortunately so many people just look at it like a day off.