tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post8595588771247043538..comments2024-02-17T17:59:25.010+10:00Comments on Christian Writers Downunder: The ANZAC LegendJeanette O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-52539050291063745672016-04-21T15:48:08.707+10:002016-04-21T15:48:08.707+10:00Thanks, Meredith, for this insightful post. I have...Thanks, Meredith, for this insightful post. I have a copy of the diary of my husband's great uncle who was at Gallipoli. It makes fascinating reading.<br />I have noticed the 'Anzac Legend' growing and changing over the years to where it seems, for some, to be almost a substitute religion. So, it's great how you draw our thoughts back to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03068839738419733351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-51318990193662390152016-04-21T10:57:13.394+10:002016-04-21T10:57:13.394+10:00Great post. I wonder what happened to those prison...Great post. I wonder what happened to those prisoners when they got back? Rose Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00916783669139743112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-1527362337884119762016-04-21T10:56:02.975+10:002016-04-21T10:56:02.975+10:00Great post. I wonder what happened to those prison...Great post. I wonder what happened to those prisoners when they got back? Rose Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00916783669139743112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-68594449198697666202016-04-21T10:20:12.358+10:002016-04-21T10:20:12.358+10:00Great post Meredith. It certainly enlightened me. ...Great post Meredith. It certainly enlightened me. Totally agree that war is not the glorifed thing it's often portrayed to be. Loved the way you ended - yes, we have hope that in this messy world of forgotten heroes and glorified wars - we have the real HERO who gave His all for us. Thanks for showing us the right perspective to it all! Anusha Atukoralahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00859837228901127984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-76142804897960148132014-04-27T21:14:40.261+10:002014-04-27T21:14:40.261+10:00Thanks, Meredith, for giving this perspective on t...Thanks, Meredith, for giving this perspective on the whole topic. I remember being challenged in my whole thinking about the soldiers at Gallipoli in a different way when I was learning Turkish from a very patriotic Turkish lady living in Auburn here in Sydney a few years ago. She helped me see a whole different side to the Gallipoli campaign by telling me about the huge number of young Turks who were killed there and teaching me these sad, sad songs sung by their families as they grieved for them. Yes, war is a terrible thing, whichever way you look at it.Jo-Anne Berthelsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09775045057529728396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-73664979232410325302014-04-24T13:19:05.725+10:002014-04-24T13:19:05.725+10:00Yesterday I had a very similar conversation with a...Yesterday I had a very similar conversation with a colleague. The same query of 'what is heroic/a hero' was played against the desire to remain respectful to those who sacrificed their lives, yet probably didn't grasp what they were actually signing up for in the first instance. Another thought that was raised was the lack of conversation regarding human sacrifice, war and what the actual gains were (or more so, were not). Perhaps out of respect we are reluctant to unpack such long held perspectives of war and heroism, but it's definitely food for thought. Thanks for sharing these insights.Adele Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413445554710215786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-19978566231438892962014-04-24T12:38:10.814+10:002014-04-24T12:38:10.814+10:00Thanks for those thoughts. How wonderful to have ...Thanks for those thoughts. How wonderful to have your grandfather's diary. That makes it so much more real than just reading about it in history books. My grandmother's foster brother died at Gallipoli. Apparently he had a diary, but the family doesn't have it. Would love to have been able to read it. I like your reflections on what it means to be a hero too. Remembering that heroes still have flaws is also a good lesson for our writing. I've read some books where the hero is just too perfect. Those flaws make them real. Thanks for sharing.Nola Passmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08425394685430146759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-19192217688565791322014-04-24T12:00:41.910+10:002014-04-24T12:00:41.910+10:00Hi Meredith,
That is a very thought-provoking post...Hi Meredith,<br />That is a very thought-provoking post, worth reading slowly and pondering. It's good to reflect that those diggers were both larrikins and heroes, and perhaps the fact that they were basically just young men (like the ones in my household) caught in a particular time of history, makes their heroism more evident.<br />I guess you'll be getting up early to celebrate the Dawn Service tomorrow.<br />Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208627029605402728.post-89968910490832192882014-04-24T07:39:48.762+10:002014-04-24T07:39:48.762+10:00Thank you Meredith for sharing your thoughts from ...Thank you Meredith for sharing your thoughts from your studies and clearly from your heart. <br />That diary must have been VERY interesting. <br />I often wonder, when looking through museums with our diggers memorabilia in it, what the owners were like and what they went through.<br />'We will remember them'and what they did, but as you say, our most faithful hero is Jesus. Di Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01288915294738813579noreply@blogger.com