Anzac Day - a Day of Remembrance

I will not be writing a great big blog here on Anzac Day. 

There are so many blogs and posts and news stories out there that have a done a wonderful job I just wanted to acknowledge all our past and present men and woman who have taken on the massive task of protecting and serving our country. 

We who stay at home can never know of the horrors, losses and heartbreak you have had to endure but know that by honouring Anzac Day we are thinking of you all and thanking you from the bottom of our hearts. 

To those fools out there who have the audacity to say we should not be honouring Anzac Day as we are honouring war, you are not even worth my time or ink.

Know this, we will always honour our men and woman who have made the choice to protect our great land and may we never have to deal with the atrocities we see taking place in other lands, within our own country.

Let me end with the Ode of Remembrance 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Now a photo down memory lane.... my father in 1945

This is a photo of a photo so not the best quality. The young boy on the right, yes thats my dad, after he joined the Airforce. I look at this photo and both boys look so young its hard to believe that people were sent to protect our country who were younger than my dad. 

Dad is 19 here but looks a lot younger, probably not helped standing next to that very tall fellow either. My dad isn't a shorty but not that tall either (I think he was 5'8") but honestly he looks like a ring-in doesn't he.

Then you think of all those young lads that signed up at 15, 16 etc and I am just blown away with this thought. Children, children sent out into the trenches. 

I struggled with this photo as the light kept reflecting off the photo and of course it was reflecting on the side where dad's head is.

 This is a photo of dad with one of his sisters (Cis). looking a bit slept in there, no natty sharp lines for my dad. Same year as the first photo which shows you how misleading a photo can be cause he looks both taller and older here.

While dad was in training in the Airforce he came down with Rheumatic Fever and so even though he joined up he was one of the lucky ones that ended up staying here and not having to face the horrors of the war.