Tomorrow is ANZAC Day ( Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) when, on the 25th April we remember all soldiers who fought for us. ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

I remember going into Melbourne and standing with many others by the flame of remembrance. I had tears in my eyes as dawn broke over the Shrine of Remembrance and I listened to a lone bugler playing the last post. Unforgettable.

Later I enjoyed a Gunfire breakfast and mingled with old diggers, Vietnam Veterans and many from many other wars and conflicts. I shook their hands to convey in some small way my thanks. .

This year it is different. In this coronavirus lock-down I will be observing social distancing by standing on my own out the front of our house here in Victoria with a lit candle. I will remember them in my own way. Respectful, grateful and so humbled by their achievements.

Lest we forget

I will then come inside and make the Traditional ANZAC biscuits by taking 1 cup of coconut 1 cup of rolled oats 1/2 cup of sugar 3/4 cup plain flour Melt 1/4 lb butter 2 tabs Golden syrup and add 1 teas carb soda Mix and roll in small spoonfuls onto a floured baking tray, leaving room for the biscuits to spread Bake in a moderate oven (approximately 400 degrees) for ten minutes.

(I often bake double quantities. Believe me, they disappear quickly)

Store in an airtight tin immediately they are cold (if you are lucky and have enough left)

How did the dawn service in the city start? It is suggested that the Dawn Service observed on Anzac Day has its origins in a military routine still followed by the Australian Army. The half-light of dawn was one of the times favoured for launching an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were woken in the dark before dawn, so by the time first light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons; this is still known as the “stand-to”. Also in 1927 a group of returned men returning at dawn from an Anzac Day function held the night before came upon an elderly woman laying flowers at the Sydney Cenotaph. Joining her in this private remembrance, the men later resolved to institute a dawn service the following year.

I hope you all stay safe and well during this difficult time