My Offbeat World

Commemorating ANZAC Day in the Nations Capital – Canberra

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Attending the dawn parade on ANZAC day at the National War Memorial in Canberra,is one of the most moving experiences I have had.

People of all ages standing around in the pre-dawn darkness in sombre silence listening to the prayers and hymns, many with candles. People cough, babies whimper, but apart from these usual signs heard in large gathering, the children are relatively well behaved. It’s as if they can sense that this is a solemn gathering where they need to be on their best behaviour.

It is bitterly cold and misty, which adds to the bleakness of the gathering. The ceremony ends with a lone piper playing ‘The Last Post’ followed by Reveille, a fitting and eerie ending to the morning as the grey dawn breaks.

When it is over people stand around as if not wanting to break the power of the moment. But finally they start to wend their way down the Anzac parade between the monuments dedicated to the different corps and allied countries, back to their cars, many with tears in their eyes.

Most will return for the ANZAC parade later in the morning, to once again pay their respects to the soldiers from all the wars in which Australia has been involved over the years, The Second World War, The Korean War, The Vietnam War and countless others.

In the early days, the dawn ceremony was restricted to veterans to give the diggers quiet time to reflect on their fallen comrades. The day time ceremony was for families and the general public to attend pay homage to these brave men.

Now days more and more youngsters are encouraged to take part in the dawn ceremony as representatives of their grandfathers and fathers.

After the parade many will go to the local RSL, clubs and pubs for a few drinks and to play two up, an Aussie tradition. Some will just return home for cups of tea and Anzac biscuits.

ANZAC Day A bit of Background

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Today is ANZAC day. This day is the most important national day of commemoration in Australia.

ANZAC Day – 25 April – marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the soldiers in those forces became known as ANZACs.
Australians and New Zealanders celebrate this day of commenoration all around the world no matter where they are based. The memory of this day is so clearly defined in our past, our memories and our hearts.

We all know so well the sacrifice that these young men made.

Why is ANZAC day so special to Australians and New Zealanders?
Australia had only been a federal commonwealth for fourteen years when war broke out in 1914. Eager to establish a reputation in world standing, the national government sent troops to join the fray.

In 1915, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand formed part of the allied expedition that was sent over to capture the Gallipoli peninsula which would allow the allied navies entrance through the Black Sea.

The soldiers were to capture Constantinople ( now Istanbul), which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire and a close ally of Germany.

When the troops landed at Gallipoli on 25th April they met fierce resistance from the Turkish army, and the battle plan to knock Turkey quickly out of the war, became a stalemate that dragged on for eight long months.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured appalling hardships. Over 8000 Australian soldiers lost their lives. The troops were evacuated at the end of 1915 and the stories from the landing at Gallipoli had such a profound impact on Australians at home and 25th April became the day on which all Australians remember the sacrifices of those involved in the war.

Although the objective was not met, the bond between our nations was strengthened as the spirit of the ANZACs lives on.

Anthrax Outbreak in Victoria Australia

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Paula and I attended the Reed Gift Fair in Melbourne last week. While we were there, there was a story on the news about a man, with a large unattractive sore on his arm. This was the result of him working in an abattoir and coming in contact with anthrax infected cattle.

So what is Anthrax?

It is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. And although Anthrax most commonly occurs in cattle, sheep, goats and other herbivores,it can also affect humans who are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. The infection is usually caught from handling and inhaling spores from infected animal products or eating undercooked meat from infected animals.

The tv footage also included a farmer who had to dispose of the days supply of infected milk after his cows started dying. It made me wonder how much possibly infected milk had been distributed to the local market before the cows started dying, but when they were already sick.

The last outbreak of Anthrax in Victoria was 10 years ago and it is the dry conditions that apparently contribute towards this disease occurring as the cattle have to go deeper into the soil to feed, as the spores live in the soil.

The symptoms of disease vary depending on how the disease was contracted, but symptoms usually appear within 7 days.

The majority of anthrax infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin. So people who handle contaminated wool, hides, leather or hair products (especially goat hair) of infected animals are particularly at risk.

A skin infection starts of looking like a raised itchy bump similar to an insect bite. Within a couple of days this develops into a vesicle and then becomes a painless ulcer, usually 1-3 cm in diameter. The ulcer has a characteristic black necrotic (dying) area in the center. There is often a swelling of the lymph glands in the adjacent area. The good news is that only about 20% of untreated cases of cutaneous anthrax will result in death. The death rate is rare if the proper antimicrobial therapy is provided.

Where the spores have been inhaled, the initial symptoms may resemble a common cold. which, after several days, may progress to severe breathing problems and shock. Where the anthrax infection has been contracted by inhalation the result is usually fatal.

The intestinal disease from anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated meat. Signs are characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initially the patient suffers from nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever which is followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Infection from intestinal anthrax results in death in 25% to 60% of cases.

Depending on how the disease is contracted, the symptoms generally show up within 7 days with varying symptoms.