Take Action for ANZAC DAY 2021

Article published in The Daily Telegraph 16th February 2021.

ANZAC Day is the one day of the year where we celebrate the spirit of those Australians who have selflessly served and fought for our nation. 

It is the one day of the year all Australians join together to thank our veterans for their service, joining together to connect as a national community, from all walks of life – celebrating those values that we espouse as a nation.

RSL Victoria have already cancelled their Melbourne march, and RSL NSW have followed suit with plans to only allow a parade of 500 within Sydney’s CBD – citing COVID concerns as justification. Similar speculation continues with all other states and territories expected to cancel or reduce their commemorations in kind. 

These announcements are another devastating and unnecessary blow to our veteran community.

Why these decisions have already been made two and a half months out from April 25 is confusing, combined with the fact there has been a lack of consultation and communication with the wider veteran community prior to such politicised announcements.

As a recently retired veteran, I have a renewed understanding of the significance and impact ANZAC Day has on our community. 

It is the one day of the year where we are able to collectively celebrate our service with the Australia public and be inspired by those who have done so for the generations before us. It is where we join with veterans of all ages and backgrounds, and reconnect with the purpose and identity that perhaps saw us achieve greatness during our time in service. 

Life after service is already a very isolating experience for our community

Regardless of how much we can engage digitally, nothing ever replaces the emotional connections we make in person. For many veterans, ANZAC day is the long-awaited one day of the year that we truly embrace together. Life after service is already a very isolating experience for our community, as has already been widely discussed.

Marching in formation may not seem spectacular, but for many, that collective action may be the only time we recognise our own service and unique experience through this connection. This cannot be replicated by any other token gestures or representations.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, we have watched our veteran colleagues and friends deployed across the country to support border closures, hotel quarantines and even help those affected by bushfires and natural disasters within our region. 

We agreed to not march on ANZAC Day 2020 as the world underwent lockdowns and we gladly supported our nation’s response to another crisis. Since then we have sat quietly and watched sporting events, public celebrations and large protests occur throughout our capital cities, physically drawing together tens of thousands of Australians for different causes. The hypocrisy is now obvious to our community and questions must be asked as to why different standards are being applied.

Is it because celebrating our service personnel does not provide the same commercial opportunities? While we are being told that these decisions have been made to mitigate the physical risks presented by the COVID pandemic, the mental and emotional impacts of these decisions are failing to be addressed and left to further injure the more than six hundred thousand living Australian veterans – let alone those that support and celebrate them. 

Let’s not forget – defence personnel are highly disciplined in  planning and coordination during crises. Our men and women have been trained and tested at great expense to the taxpayer. Let’s also not forget these unique skills and experience have been continuously called upon by our governments throughout the pandemic as the most trusted and preferred capabilities. 

To assume that we cannot be responsible to conduct COVID safe commemorations across the nation is not only ignorant, but sets to undermine the value of our service.

These premature decisions by the readily-authoritative RSLs, highlight their ongoing disconnect with contemporary veterans and the true needs of our community. 

Thriving in crisis is what we have been trained to do.

As uncomfortable as it may be, it is time for veterans to break from our silence, and show the true courage our nation needs here and now, not for any personal recognition but because our community needs to lead by example. Thriving in crisis is what we have been trained to do.

I now call on our veteran community and ex-service organisations to join together and ask for common sense to prevail with a revision of these decisions. We must also concurrently work together to develop smart and safe ways to march on for the mental health of our community and celebrate the ANZAC spirit that has inspired and protected our nation for generations.

Please join in the conversation and become a part of the solution.

#MarchOn