ANZAC Day in Australia
The History and Traditions of Australia’s Day of Memorial on April 2
An explanation of the background and customs associated with the ANZAC Day public holiday in Australia.
ANZAC Day is an Australian public holiday that is observed throughout the states on April 25th . A large number of Australians attend services and marches as well as the traditional two-up games in pubs in the afternoon.
ANZAC Day History
April 25th marks the day that Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It was the Anzacs first military action of the war, and the intent was to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula and then continue on to Constantinople, as Turkey was a strong ally of Germany. Unfortunately the landing site was ill-chosen, resulting in an eight month stalemate between the opposing armies with heavy casualties recorded on both sides. The battle concluded when the Allied forces evacuated at the end of 1915.
The landing site has been officially renamed Anzac Cove, and many Australians make a pilgrimage there each year for an ANZAC Day service.
ANZAC Day Traditions
- Dawn Services are held at war memorials throughout Australia on ANZAC Day. The order of the Dawn Service usually includes a prayer and address, the laying of wreaths, and the reciting of the fourth verse of Laurence Binyon’s 1914 poem For the Fallen, known as The Ode of Remembrance. A poignant moment of the service is the playing of The Last Post by a lone bugler as the flag is lowered to half-mast, followed by a minute’s silence. Reveille is then played as the flag is raised to the masthead.
- ANZAC Day Marches are held in all cities and rural centres. Traditionally these consisted only of returned soldiers; however of latter years school children and descendants of soldiers have also joined the march.
- Two-Up is a simple coin toss gambling game that is only played legally in public in Australia on ANZAC Day. It is thought that the game developed in the Australian goldfields, and became a popular pastime for soldiers in the trenches of World War I.
Rules of Two-Up
- Players stand in a ring around the playing area with the person in charge (or "boxer") in the centre. The boxer’s job is to run the game and control the bets.
- Two pennies are laid (one heads up, the other tails up) on a flat board called the kip.
- One player is chosen to be the "spinner" and toss the coins from the kip.
- Side bets are placed by the remaining players on either heads or tails. The spinner must have his bet covered before any side bets are made.
- The boxer calls “come in spinner” as the spinner enters the circle and tosses the coins into the air. The coins must go over the spinners head and spin or the throw is called as a 'foul'.
- The spinner must throw heads three times to win. If tails are thrown or in casinos if odds (one head, one tail - also called "oned 'em" according to well-known Newcastle boxer Dollar Bill) are thrown five times in a row, the spinner loses and the kip passes to the next player.
The observance of ANZAC Day first began in 1916, as a commemoration of the battle at Gallipoli and in memory of the courage and mateship shown by the soldiers there. The day has gradually come to honour Australian and New Zealand soldiers from all wars since. It is a day when veterans, servicemen and women and everyday Australians put aside political viewpoints and moral judgements to honour the courage and sacrifice of Australian military personnel.
