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Students from around Australia
28 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize
Simpson Prize students (left to right) Nic, Eleanor, Meg, Madeleine, Erin, Lauren, Varun and Johanna at the 57 Regiment MemorialIt’s always interesting and entertaining for me to discover the character of the young Aussies who come on the Simpson Prize trip. Here’s a rough sketch of each one.
Recovery and return
28 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize
Varun and Onder, our bus driver, laying a wreath at the Turkish 57th Regiment MemorialThe return to the hotel after our big Anzac morning was a chance to relax, catch up on sleep and do whatever we felt like. As it was a lovely warm day, Maddy and Lauren braved the waters for another swim, others walked and talked on the beach, Varun learnt card games – Pisti and Kapti Kacti – from our bus driver, while the more senior members of the group snoozed.
The day after Anzac Day was farewell to the Kum Hotel and back to Istanbul. We stopped at the Turkish 57th Regiment to lay a wreath, with Varun and our bus driver doing the honours. Our wreath, in Turkish, read “The epic story of heroism and friendship started here”. A very subdued bus trip back with some nodding off and others lost in their thoughts had us back in Istanbul, visiting Haggia Soffia (Ayasofya) before heading to the hotel.
Anzac Day
26 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
View of Dawn Service from our seatsWell, by the look of all the comments we don’t have to tell you what we’ve been up to, as you’ve seen us in action on TV. Before Lone Pine, though, we had of course been at the Dawn Service at North Beach. We got up after midnight, dressed warmly (some with every layer they possibly could) and headed off to the site. It was amazing to see the place full of people in sleeping bags and in the stands. Thanks to Dept of Veterans Affairs we got some great seats, just behind the NSW Premier’s group of students. It was at the front of the stands, close to the water so we had a great view of the commemorative site and sea with lights shooting out across it.
While it was cold waiting for dawn, Andrew assured us we were lucky that there was no cold wind like last year. There was an interpretive program that ran on the big screens either side of the site that included interviews with people who had travelled to Gallipoli for the services and a presentation of soldiers names and details of a few Australian and New Zealand soldiers killed in the campaign – very moving.
The frontline and the coast
25 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
Simpson Prize group rugged up during the trip up the Anzac coastlineToday we braved the elements and walked the frontline at Anzac from Lone Pine to Walkers Ridge. Lone Pine is the site for the main Australian service on Anzac Day so it’s full of action with seating stands, a/v equipment, catafalque party rehearsals and musicians trying to warm up. Many of the soldiers we were to present had no known grave, so we found their names on the memorial wall and did rubbings to add to our photos and poppies, to present in other areas. read on
Cultural exchange in Helles
24 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
On the way down Rhododendron RidgeThe day before our big night at Anzac dawned clear and sunny. While there was still a cool breeze blowing, we were pleased to see a change in the weather. The plan for the morning was to travel down south to Helles and visit site of some of the big battles in this area. However, we hadn’t counted on the enthusiasm of Turkish authorities to close off roads due to memorial services at some of the sites.
Reflections on first visit to Anzac Cove
24 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
Simpson Prize students on the Cannakale FerryBy Eleanor Lourey (Simpson Prize winner):
Being here for Anzac Day seems so much more important now that I have learnt so much about WWI and the Gallipoli campaign. Seeing so many Australian graves makes the whole day more purposeful to remember and commemorate their lives. Seeing what some of the relatives had written on the gravestones made it seem so much more real and made me think about their families they had left behind at home.
When I saw how large the set-up is for the Dawn Service made me realize how important the day is, not only for Australians but also for New Zealanders and Turks. I am now looking forward to the Anzac Day services more than I was before, all because now I am here on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Australia’s Gallipoli Victoria Crosses
23 April 2009 by Craig Blanch.
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Collection,Collection Highlights,From the collection,News,Personal Stories, ANZAC, Courtney's Post, Gallipoli, Hill 60, Lone Pine, Victoria Cross
For ninety four years the story of Gallipoli has galvanised Australians to remember, on ANZAC Day, those that have served, and continue to serve, in conflicts around the globe. The description by poet John Masefield in 1917 of the landing on Gallipoli creates an indelible backdrop to the fighting:
Those who wish to imagine the scene must think of any rough and steep coast known to them, picturing it as roadless, waterless, much broken with gullies, covered with scrub, sandy, loose, difficult to walk upon, and without more than two miles of accessible landing throughout its length…Then let them imagine the hills entrenched, the landing mined, the beaches tangled with barbed wire, ranged by Howitzers, and swept by machine guns…
(See rare movie footage of Anzac and Suvla here)
The Gallipoli Landing and the first ANZAC Day
23 April 2009 by Annette Gaykema.
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From the collection,News,Personal Stories, ANZAC Cove, ANZAC Day, Commemoration, Gallipoli
As we ready ourselves to commemorate ANZAC Day at the Australian War Memorial, we can gain a small insight what it was like at the Gallipoli landing. Personal diaries held by the Memorial describe what it was like landing at Gallipoli on Sunday, 25 April 1915 under the heavy fire of Turkish machine guns. Although the photos accompanying this blog post do not relate directly to the diary entries, they are able to illustrate the stories in a different way.
Sergeant Apcar de Vine of the 4th Battalion writes: “landed myself at … midday under a hot shrapnell [sic] fire, all landed safely…
First day at Gallipoli
23 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
Grave of Major EC OldhamA very pleasant drive down to the Gallipoli Peninsula through fields of bright yellow canola crops and pine forested mountains had us arriving at the Kum Hotel in time for lunch. It was the first taste of the fabulous food and hospitality of this hotel, which is only 10 minutes drive from the Anzac area. Our rooms are small, but comfortable, and once we had mastered the mysteries of plumbing, wrestled with our door locks and understood the purpose of the hole in the bathroom (ventilation) we all felt at home. read on
Thoughts from our two days in Istanbul
23 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize
Simpson students and teachers in front of the Blue MosqueHeading down to Gallipoli we had a chance to reflect on our introduction to Turkey from our two days in Istanbul. The hotel in Taxim Square was a great location – busy, chaotic and full of life. It’s a very cosmopolitan part of the city with thousands of people moving through the square and down Istiklal Street.
In this area are plenty of familiar brand-name shops you would see in Australia, but tucked away in little malls you find a huge range of Turkish products. We sampled Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and tea. Lauren checked out a busking group performing with an instrument called a Saz – lute shaped with three pairs of strings – and another musician on a small hand-drum.
Throughout the day is the call to prayer, broadcast from the many mosques around the city. Some of us find the 5.30am call to prayer a very peaceful and gentle way to wake up, while others would rather keep sleeping.
In the old part of the city, one of the most amazing places to visit is the Basilica Cistern – an underground water storage with huge pillars and brick ceiling. Lighting, music and a small amount of water on the bottom create a magical atmosphere. The Blue Mosque has an incredible ambience inside, something that cant be captured in a photograph – definitely one of those places you have to experience in person.
At Topaki Palace we saw jewels, swords, thrones, daggers and other ornaments from the treasury, while in the holy relics section the display included a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed and parts of his beard. In this area Muezzins (preachers) deliver a sermon from the Koran 24 hours a day.
