Sydney honours its Anzacs |
Tens of thousands of flag-waving men, women and children have lined the streets of Sydney to honour war veterans taking part in the annual Anzac Day march.
NSW governor Marie Bashir led the procession of veterans, their descendants, current military personnel and NSW Police and Fire Brigade personnel who served in the military as it made its way from Martin Place along George Street to Hyde Park.
Lots of families and young children, some with Australian flags painted on their faces, lined the march route.
Glenn Ruddle, from Zetland in inner-Sydney, brought his five-year-old daughter and 17-month-old son to their first Anzac parade.
"My kids wanted to come,"he said while watching the march.
"I think its important to pass it (the Anzac tradition) on to them. Its important to me more so now that Ive got kids."
For the first time, the NSW branch of the RSL asked descendants of veterans to march this year at the back, rather than alongside the unit in which their relative served, amid concerns the veterans were being crowded out. Marching veterans may be accompanied by a carer if needed, but only one designated descendant of a veteran can take part in the march.
"Our intention has never been to force people to march at the rear,"NSW RSL resident Don Rowe told AAP ahead of the start of the march.
"The veterans were the ones that went to war. They were the ones who put their lives on the line. Let them have the pride of place in the march."
Howe'ver, many people wearing their relatives medals marched with veterans in their units. Angela and Maree Dew, daughters of Ray Dew, who fought in North Africa in World War II and was a prisoner of war for four years, will be respecting the RSLs request.
"We just want to be there to honour our fathers memory,"Angela Dew told AAP at the cenotaph in Martin Place.
"Were happy to do that as part of the descendants."
Her sister said the veterans were getting older and fewer in number, and descendants would likely end up marching with the units again in the future.
"It (marching with the units) makes the march too long for them, but in future years that could probably change when veterans cant march anymore,"Maree said.
One descendant, who asked not to be named, will march with the remaining members of his fathers battalion, which served in Malaya in the 1950s.
"My plan is to do exactly that,"he said. It feels like the right thing to do, whether or not it meets their approval. I can understand their thoughts but would think most units would accept descendants."
Commodore Ian Callaway, chief marshal of the march, said the number of descendants were crowding out the dwindling number of veterans.
"Its more appropriate that the descendants participate in the march but that they bring up the rear and leave the veterans the honour of leading the march,"he said.
The retired naval officer, who served for 40 years including the war in Vietnam, said descendants in small numbers did not take the focus from the veterans.
"But when you have six veterans and about 50 descendants then the thing is getting out of kilter,"he said.
Trevor Cotton, 85, who served in New Guinea, marched with the Australian Cinema Unit Association, which he joined after World War II.
He said the cinema unit used to show films to soldiers in the jungle on movie screens they hung between trees.
Mr Cotton, who waved to his granddaughter watching the march, said he marched every year.
"It gives you a lift, and people come along and I like to acknowledge them."
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ Sydney honours its Anzacs
Update Page
