Anzac Day during COVID-19: Australians will remember war heroes at home
This is an Anzac Day that will be like no other in living memory. But, in the best Australian tradition, we will get through it together, writes Senator Jim Molan.
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The coronavirus has made a huge impact on us all in 2020, and Anzac Day is no exception.
This is an Anzac Day like no other in living memory. But, in the best Australian tradition, we will get through it together.
Anzac Day has always brought together two different instincts. On the one hand, especially for a former member of the Defence Force, it is a day to spend surrounded by others. Together we swap stories and reminisce about old mates, including those who are no longer with us.
But it is also a day for personal reflection and contemplation. It is the day in which we practice silent rituals of remembrance, quietly thinking of the struggles and sacrifices of those who came before us.
What usually makes Anzac Day so special is the way that we all reflect to ourselves, but we do so together and surrounded by others.
Anzac Day this year is far from usual. I have commemorated Anzac Day in many places over the years: in frosty Canberra at the War Memorial as an officer cadet, at the Kokoda Track in New Guinea, at various bases and barracks around Australia, in Baghdad, in Jakarta, at my local RSL in Queanbeyan, and last year at the Rocks during the election campaign. But when 2020 began I never anticipated that I would be observing Anzac Day at home.
I won’t be the only person doing this. The War Memorial in Canberra, which usually hosts thousands, will have only a handful.
Martin Place will not be hosting the usual crowds, nor will the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. It is something that has been forced on all of us by the coronavirus. We simply cannot go forward with the usual Anzac Day ceremonies this year.
The idea of staying home for Anzac Day feels jarring for me, as I am sure it will for many other Australians. Because it is a day we usually spend with others, whether at dawn services, marches, or other ceremonies, it feels inherently wrong to be at home. It is as though something essential is missing.
This is why I have been promoting the #AnzacAtHome campaign. It is designed for people to share their Anzac stories on social media. Over the past month I have been hosting the stories of many veterans on my Facebook page, from World War I to Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been an incredible reminder of the variety of people who have put their lives on the line for this country. Most of them lived completely normal lives but answered the call when their country needed them. It has been a valuable reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of which Australians are capable when the odds are against us.
A social media campaign, even one as inspiring as #AnzacAtHome, can never replace what we are all used to. I will miss shaking hands and slapping old mates on the back. I will miss the unique feeling of a minute’s silence while standing in a crowd of thousands. I will miss the connection one can only get from being in the company of others. We will, however, get through it.
It is a good reminder of the Anzac spirit of overcoming adversity, and making the best of a bad situation. We were all caught by surprise by the coming of coronavirus this year. But who could have anticipated on 25th April 1914, before the war began, that one year later thousands of young Australians would disembark at a place called Gallipoli, with many to never return?
The coronavirus’ health and economic impacts are a big challenge for Australia. In the space of a few weeks it has turned life completely upside down. But Australia has overcome bigger challenges before.
Though there is still a way to go yet, we will overcome this one as well.
Senator Jim Molan is a retired Major-General.