Bush poet Bob Skelton - also known as Minmi Magster - wrote this poem called To the Anzacs.
They landed at dawn on Gallipoli
In the year of 1915
To a hail of deadly bullets
What a hell on Earth it must have been
The Anzacs were the bravest thing
God ever made I'm sure
Those words spoken not by a politician
But a British officer at the end of that terrible war. Today it's so hard to imagine
The horrific conditions they did endure
As they fought to gain a foothold
In rugged cliffs above the shore.
Anzac is a story of tragedy and triumph
Of those that gave their very breath
To secure their country's freedom
The price so many paid was death.
Their acts of mateship, bravery and courage are too many to mention here.
So to the names of 8000 poor souls
Who paid the supreme sacrifice for fighting there.
They need no marble monuments
To preserve their time-honoured legacy
It's held in the heart and soul of our nation
From the outback to the sea.
For they forged our national identity
Beneath a far and foreign sky
They left a long and lasting legacy
That will live on and never die.
Though over 100 years have ebbed away
Since they landed on that Gallipoli shore
The badge of honour they did bequeath
Shall endure for evermore
Today we owe a debt we can never repay
To our brave service women and men
And from the Bore War to Afghanistan
May we always remember and honour them.
Bob will read the poem at West Wallsend Workers Club on Anzac Day.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Craig Johnston took this moving photo of the Newcastle Memorial Walk.
"When people are prepared to lay down their lives for the safety and protection of their country, it's the ultimate human sacrifice," said Craig, of Newcastle. "I feel that emotion every time I walk past this magnificent artwork up the very top of Newcastle. The photograph is my thank you to the brave men and women who fought for us."
