AUSSIE RULES

I thought I had better read Peter Temple's The Broken Shore which had been sitting in my TBR pile for several months. The rave reviews were one factor and that I was ready to start reading a new novel on ANZAC day April 25th.

The atmosphere of the book is so very different from Donna Leon's Venice that it could be set on another planet. It will take some getting used to the blunt language and stark racism expressed by some characters in the book.

I have worked out that there are two second class groups in Oz, "abos" and "pommy bastards". I really like the honesty of the writing style, it is very Australian.

Anzac Day:

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only fourteen years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.
Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and their future.