Gallipoli 2015
A couple of days have passed now since we arrived back to Istanbul having attended the 100th anniversary commemoration of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. The entire experience was, from beginning to end, moving, inspirational and emotional. As 10,000 of us lay outside in our sleeping bags, with barely enough space to lie flat, the night was passed by screenings of documentaries on the Gallipoli campaign, military historians retelling key stories and offering interpretations, music and song and a beautiful speech by youth ambassador Caitlin Pāpuni-Mclellan. The programme drew us into the history and moving reality of Gallipoli. At one point in the early morning, the MC announced, "it is now 3am , and 3000 men began to slip quietly from their ships into landing boats to begin the journey to shore." Silence, except for the lapping of water on the beach. The Australian short film 'The Telegram Man' was played just before dawn telling the story of the man whose task it w