ANZAC Day in Vancouver

Lisa, Ben and I went to the official ANZAC Day Memorial in downtown Vancouver at 9am on Saturday. This was our first time at an overseas ANZAC Day ceremony, and it was really something to be there with a few hundred Aussies and Kiwis so far from home, remembering the Anzacs and seeing the passers by with their heads on backwards trying to figure out what was going on. Not too many dry eyes I'd say!

For those of you who don't know, ANZAC Day is a very important national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated on 25 April each year. It started as a day to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the "Anzacs") who fought at Gallipoli in World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all who have served in the two countries' past and present military operations. ANZAC Day is a national holiday in Australia and New Zealand, and many people attend dawn services, parades, and other commemorative events each year, held everywhere from the biggest cities to the very smallest communities.

The Vancouver ceremony contained the usual elements - speeches, prayers, reading of Homecoming and The Ode, playing of The Last Post and Reveille by a bugler, two minutes silence, and the laying of wreaths. Speakers included the NZ Consul General, the Australian Honorary Consul, and an ADF Wing Commander based in Seattle. There was also a performance by a local Maori singing group, and they were fantastic! The ceremony drew to a close with everyone singing the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian national anthems, led by local Aussie jazz musicians Goby Catt and the Catt Pack. It was wonderful!

Here are some photos...


Afterwards, everyone was invited back to a nearby Aussie restaurant, Moose's Down Under, but by the time we found somewhere to park and walked there, the place was overflowing so we didn't stay! But we have resolved to go back, because it looks like loads of cliched Australiana fun!!

Here are some photos from the rest of our day downtown. Re the first photo: the ceremony happened to be across the street from the Marijuana Party shop (yes, that's an actual political party here!), which was mentioned in one of the links in my "crazy Canadians" post...


And this is the awesome Vancouver Public Library...


And that's all for now! Goodnight!