This year we celebrate Easter and ANZAC day a week apart and the spirit of Easter and ANZAC reminds us of the sacrifices and hopes of many who have gone before us.
Easter has been celebrated by Christians for 2000 years as the embodiment of the love of Christ, sacrificing his own life to overcome the sins of the world. His subsequent resurrection is accepted by Christian believers as a divine triumph over evil and mortality, which opened a path to all believers to eternal life beyond death. This year the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday was a loss deeply felt by Catholics around the world – also on tiny Lord Howe. The Pope had worked hard to focus on contemporary problems like Climate Change as a part of the general concern by Catholics for the world and its people.
ANZAC Day represents the noble tradition of sacrifice of Australia’s service men and women from the time of Gallipoli in many conflicts through to the present day.
Many service personnel have sacrificed their lives, or often their good health, to defend Australia’s shores and its system of democratic government. This has given our citizens the right to choose their own representatives via fair and open democratic elections – one of which we are about to experience on the 3rd of May. Peter Van Gelderen, Secretary of our local RSL sub-branch, has been encouraged by a recent expansion of membership from 12 to 21. This followed the widening of membership criteria which enabled the relatives of returned servicemen to join the organisation.
The aspirations of those who served in our armed forces were to maintain the quality of life we enjoy in Australia and our respect for them bids us to be cautious about changes that may be radical. Sometimes it is better to pause and consider all the consequences of proposed change before it proceeds. By rushing in, we can often overlook the long-term impact of our actions.
ED. Stephen
Stephen Sia on Lord Howe Island