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The meaning of Anzac Day

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War medals and photo of soldier on table
The meaning of Anzac Day

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  3–4


Anzac Day means different things to different people.

Five people, of varying ages, share their thoughts and feelings about Anzac Day.

Some have actually served in wartime, while others have a close family member who has.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Anzac Day is commemorated on 25th April each year. What happens on this day all around Australia? Each letter in Anzac represents a different word. Do you know what these words are?
  2. 2.Listen carefully to what each person says about Anzac Day. What is the first speaker wearing? What do you see behind him? The third man is standing in front of a wall. What do you see on the wall behind him? What do you see on display around the black-and-white photograph of the soldier?
  3. 3.Why might some people think that Anzac Day (rather than Australia Day) should be Australia's national day? The first man said that Anzac Day has three meanings for him: national, family and personal. What do you think he means? Ask some older people what Anzac Day means to them. Should we remember the past in this way? What does Anzac Day mean to younger people?
  4. 4.The Rising Sun badge appears often in this clip. Watch again if you missed it. Find out what you can about this emblem. Why has it become a symbol of Anzac Day? What happened at Gallipoli? Why do many Australians talk about Gallipoli on Anzac Day? In which other wars and conflicts have Australian servicemen and women been involved since then?



Production Date: 2011


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Posted , updated