Ex-serviceman David Howells of Kootingal, is a guardian of the Anzac Memorial in Sydney and puts forward an interesting history lesson for those thinking of changing the name of Kootingal’s Anzac Park.
IN RESPONSE to the renaming of Anzac Park to Memory Park in Kootingal there are facts that must be taken into account.
It has been stated on Page 91 of the council’s business papers of December 2011 that “The correspondence indicates that the majority of servicemen from the Kootingal district served on the western front during WWI and had no direct involvement at Gallipoli from where the name Anzac arose.”
This statement is historically incorrect.
The acronym “Anzac” was coined in December 1914 as the first Australian and New Zealand contingent convoy were still bound for Europe.
The plans for them to go to Europe were changed and they disembarked in Egypt instead under the command of General Birdwood, a British Army officer.
There they were to train and prepare for service on the Western Front, at this stage there was no plan to attack the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) with troops.
On February 19, 1915, the first attack on the Dardanelles began with a strong Anglo-French naval taskforce bombarding the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The commanders believed that it would be a short-lived campaign to take control of the straits.
By March 1915 the British and French navies had experienced significant losses and decided that the campaign could not be won by naval force alone.
Since the Anzacs and other allied troops were in Egypt preparing to go to France, the British command changed the orders to attack the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The Anzac troops at this time comprised one complete division, the Australian 1st Division, the New Zealand Infantry Brigade and two mounted brigades – the Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade.
At dawn on April 25, 1915 the Anzacs landed on the beach of a cove on the peninsula and to distinguish their position to other allied forces named it Anzac Cove.
At that moment the Anzac spirit was born and they received their baptism of battle.
At the same time as our troops were at Anzac Cove, women from the Anzacs served on Lemnos Island with the medical services treating the wounded evacuated from Gallipoli.
The evacuation of troops began in November 1915 and the campaign for the Anzacs lasted until December 20, 1915 when the last of the Anzac troops were evacuated.
After returning to Egypt to regroup and receive reinforcement troops from Australia and New Zealand, the Anzacs were split into two divisions.
One division would be sent to the Western Front and the other to the Sinai Peninsula and Palestine.
The Anzac spirit was born out of the Gallipoli campaign and the tradition was carried on to the western and eastern fronts as well as the high seas and New Guinea.
What makes the Anzac spirit?
The shared characteristics and qualities shown by the Australian and New Zealand soldiers including endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, larrikinism and mateship.
In Hyde Park, Sydney there is a memorial built to honour all the 120,000 men and women from NSW who served during the Great War, 1914 to 1918, and is known as the “Anzac memorial”.
They are all known as Anzacs and that title may not be taken away from any of them.
The memorial was rededicated in November 1984 to recognise all Australians who have served their country in war.
The term Anzac has been used in all conflicts since its inception in December 1914 to recognise the close working relationship of Australia and New Zealand military forces.
It is even used with our involvement in Afghanistan today.
In the park at Kootingal is a memorial dedicated to those who served during the Great War and all other conflicts since.
All the names on this memorial are those of Anzacs who have served our great country and sacrificed more than others.
Also in the park is a tree, a descendant of the Lone Pine from the Gallipoli Peninsula, a reminder of the men and women who served during the campaign.
The persons who indicated in their correspondence that those who served on the western front are not Anzacs, obviously require a much-needed history lesson.
As a guardian of the Anzac memorial in Hyde Park, I offer to give them a much-required update of history or maybe grab the 12 volumes of The Official History of the 1st World War written by CEW Bean and have a good read.
Consideration of the fact that a committee in the 1920s decided that the park be named Memory Park and that minutes of a meeting held at the time show this, there was no follow-up or ratification of such decision.
A small number of the older generation may remember this and maybe it should have been mentioned and acted on before now.
Hence there would be no debate.
As generations have grown up and new residents have arrived to the area, the park has become commonly known as Anzac Park.
This has set a precedent and back in October 2007 at a council meeting that was recognised by Tamworth Regional Council.
A council resolution 388/07 obviously accepted the naming and by June 2008 the name was adopted by way of a sign being erected.
The notion of renaming the park now has divided the community and caused angst among residents.
A change now is costly and would cause unnecessary confusion for residents and visitors.
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