Remembrance_Speech

Remembrance is a time to reflect on those who fort to save our country. Some come back but most did not. It is a time to take a minute of silence and remember and image what it must have been like, to fight in a war. The pain and suffering that was inflicted both physically and mentally. This is why we have Anzac Day. For all the soldiers that survived that horrific event and those that didn’t we remember with lest we forget. We hear that phrase a lot but what does it mean' Well it was refrained from the Siegfried Sassoon’s poem aftermath and it is a phrase so that the future generations don’t forget all soldiers who put their country before their own life so we could enjoy our country the way it is. This is why we have the Anzac day March ceremony in memory of all those soldiers that fort for our country on every 25th day of April which as been marked for over 92 years. But when or if you forget what happened in the past, you lose all connection with what came before you, and you erase the past. Continuing in remembrance is making sure that we continue what was in every generation, it connects us to what happened before and we make sure people are never forgotten especially when it comes to people that served in war. Connecting you to the past means remembering it. Family and religious ties mean remembrance.  A nation cannot survive without a past. We should not be ashamed of our past, even if it carries bad memories.  When we disconnect ourselves from the past we are finishing what our enemies did. They killed the people but we are destroying every thing that is left, the memories.  By remembering and understanding what came before, we can continue into the future. Now here is a very well written poem about Anzac day that I’d like to read and share with you ANZAC DAY By Bernard Sprunt Each Anzac Day is a reaffirmation Of this nation's sorrow and pride, As with gratitude it remembers and honours, Its sons who fought, and the many who died. In every corner of this wide country, Frail old men, many bent with pain, Are carefully polishing their medals, Before marching with old comrades again. Each year the roll-call is shorter, Some faces seen last year won't be there. Their epitaph, the verdict that "they were good blokes", And the sadness of their passing all Australia will share. By battalions, ships and squadrons they muster, Though just fragments of war time strength remain, Instead of rifles, walking sticks are now carried, As they dress ranks, by the right, once again. As the pipes skirl, and the bands strike up, Backs straighten and white heads are held high, And the crowds lining the route wave and cheer, As they watch the old warriors march by. Though passing years have sapped their strength, And they have to struggle to maintain the pace, In their minds they are briefly reliving their youth, Where there was no challenge which they could not face. Anzac Day mirrors the soul of our nation, And shows the price it was willing to pay, To secure our freedom, knowing if it was lost, That soul would sicken, and would wither away, LEST WE FORGET