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Anzac day

Leon: Hey there Jared. What’s with the flower? I’ve seen heaps of people walking around with those!

Jared: Far out Leon, don’t you know what day it is?

Leon: Yeah bro , it’s the 25 th of April.

Jared: Exactly! It’s Anzac day today. ‘Anzac’ stands for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’. It’s the day we commemorate members of the Australian and New Zealand army corps that were killed in war, as well honouring the returned service men and women. It’s the anniversary of the first day of conflict at Gallipolli.

Leon: I didn’t know that, although we have a similar day in my country. So the flower is a symbol of Anzac day?

Jared: That’s right, it’s an Anzac day poppy.

Leon: What kinds of things happen on Anzac day? Are there any special events or ceremonies?

Jared: Every year my Dad and I attend a dawn parade. It’s a special ceremony to honour Anzac day. It’s a very special day in my family because my great-grandfather died in the war. That’s why we make the effort every Anzac day to get up early for the dawn parade.

Leon: It must be quite an emotional experience. Does it make you cry?

Jared: Yes, it always makes me cry! It’s always sad to think about war, so many families were affected by it. At the same time though, I enjoy honoring and remembering my family. My nana makes Anzac biscuits as well, which are so yummy! Want one?

Leon: Thanks heaps , this really is delicious! Thanks for telling me about Anzac day, lets go so I can get a poppy!

Glossary:

What’s with: A colloquial term, this basically means “what’s that about”.

Example: A: “What’s with the crazy hat?”

B: “I’m going to a Mexican themed birthday party.”

It is also used when asking someone what the problem is if they are in a bad mood e.g. “What’s with you?”.

Far Out: A very common colloquial phrase in New Zealand. This means “wow” or “incredible”.

Example sentences: “Far out, look at those huge waves!”

Bro: A colloquial abbreviation of the word ‘brother’. Can refer to a friend, acquaintance or relative. Similar to‘mate’ in the context and manner by which it is usually used.

Commemorate: To pay respects to and celebrate a person or event.

Example sentence: “Every year a music festival is held to commemorate the anniversary of this event”.

Honouring: ‘Honour’is another word for respect or prestige. If someone is honouring something they are paying their respects and appreciating it, so it is similar in meaning to ‘commemorate’.

Example sentences: “I’m honouring the memory of my nana by visiting her grave”.

Returned Service men and women: People that performed a duty during war and returned safely home. Eg. former soldiers or nurses.

Anniversary: The day that an important event occurred. This day is often celebrated every year.

Example sentence: “My husband is taking me out somewhere special tonight, it’s our wedding anniversary”.

Conflict: A fight or disagreement. War is an example of conflict on a large scale, but arguments and so forth are also examples of conflicts.

Example sentence: “Paul and John are in conflict over who wrote that song”.

Gallipolli: Gallipolli, in Turkey was the site of the first major effort by New Zealand and Australia in 1915, during the 1 st World War. Many lost their lives. Many Australians and New Zealanders travel to Gallipolli every year for a special service on Anzac day.

Symbol: A symbol is a picture or object that signifies something.

Poppy: A type of flower. Poppies are the symbol for Anzac day, as well as for many other countries that have a day to commemorate those that served in war.

Events: Events are things that happen. Eg. a music event, or a special occasion like a wedding.

Ceremonies: Ceremonies are usually official and important in nature and are often a way for something to be commemorated eg. a wedding ceremony, church ceremony.

Attend: To be present at.

Dawn Parade: A ceremony to honour Anzac day that begins at dawn. There are dawn parades held all over the country on Anzac day.

Emotional: Emotions are feelings. If something is emotional it affects the way you feel. It might cause someone to cry or get upset.

Example sentence: “I get so emotional when I watch sad movies”.

Affected: If someone is affected by something, the outcomes of a particular event have involved them in some way or had an impact on them.

Example sentence: “That was a really emotional scene. It really affected me.”

Yummy: Delicious.

Thanks heaps: Thanks a lot.