text: ANZAC Day 25th April, 2019. | Beyond the Flow
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  7 thoughts on "ANZAC Day 25th April, 2019."
  tidalscribe April 25, 2019 at 11:12 pm
  In high school in Australia at the end of the sixties we had ceremonies with army cadets etc. and a war veteran to talk about Gallipoli, but it seemed wrong to be talking about the first world war while absolutely no mention was made of soldiers being killed at that moment in Vietnam. At teachers' college students were allowed to do their own thing so we had a peace service instead. It was a very happy day for the boys when we heard conscription had been abolished just in time for them! My friend's big brother was conscripted, but never got further north than Queensland. I'm sure ALL veterans are remembered at Anzaac Day now, but you are right these ceremonies have to be rethought. I always thought Australia should have a totally new anthem.
  Rowena Post author April 26, 2019 at 6:24 pm
  Hard to believe they would be so insensitive and block headed ignore Vietnam while honouring WWI. However, it's consistent with the general response to Vietnam.
  My Dad's number came up in the first lottery. However, he was an uni and by the time he graduated he'd had a nasty car accident and ended up medically unfit. I did quite a lot of research into it last year thinking that we had a lucky escape and I needed to be better informed.
  My husband's brother volunteered for Vietnam and was sent over and came straight with the withdrawing troops and casualties.
  tidalscribe April 26, 2019 at 10:38 pm
  It truly was a lottery, another chap told me the trick was to pick a course that took lots of training, so your two years were up before you got to Vietnam.
  Rowena Post author April 27, 2019 at 1:00 am
  From my understanding, you could defer while doing an undergraduate degree but they came after Dad after he'd graduated. A friend of his who was called up, moved to the UK. There were three boys all friends in a row of houses and each one got called up in that lottery but none of them went.
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  maxwellthedog April 27, 2019 at 12:14 pm
  Do you guys sing "Waltzing Matilda" too? Real question.
  Rowena Post author April 29, 2019 at 10:00 pm
  We do but not as much as we used to. It's become a bit dated. However, back in 1976 a plebiscite to choose the Australian National Anthem to be sung at non-regal occasions and the main contenders were Advance Australia Fair and Waltzing Matilda and Advance Australia Fair won out. I've heard Waltzing Matilda sung at school events etc.