ANZAC Day: Message From The Australian And New Zealand High Commissions
Before dawn on 25 April 1915, 16,000 personnel from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), together with British, South African, Indian and French troops, landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula.
The objective was to capture the peninsula and open the Dardanelles strait to allied naval vessels.
The ultimate aim of the of the campaign was to force the Ottoman Empire out of the First World War.
Some 2,000 Australians and New Zealanders were killed or wounded on that 25th of April.
The Anzacs met stiff resistance and an eight-month stalemate ensued.
In December 1915, the Anzacs were evacuated. By then, 8,700 Australians and almost 2,700 New Zealanders had been killed.
Up to 130,000 soldiers from all nations had lost their lives at Gallipoli.
Anzac Day has been one of the most important national occasions for both Australia and New Zealand since 1916.
At first, it gave people the occasion to honour the original Anzacs – the Australians and New Zealanders who fought on Gallipoli.
Later, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians and New Zealanders who died in the Second World War, and in subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to honour all those who lost their lives serving their country in war and peacekeeping.
In our region, Anzac Day commemorates all personnel that served with the Commonwealth Forces during the Second World War and subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
During World War Two, Fijian troops fought alongside New Zealanders and Australian in the Solomon Islands Campaign and on into Bougainville.
This relationship continues today with our armed forces working together to respond to bushfires, tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions, COVID-19 and in support of peacekeeping operations throughout the region.
Today, we reflect on that service.
We recognise the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific servicemen and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our names.
We honour the Fijian military personnel who lost their lives serving with their Australian and New Zealand brethren.
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