Gallipoli - a disaster or a nation building defeat?
Australians are famous for their mateship and friendliness towards others. The display of self-sacrifice and the moral of others before self, became spread in ww1. Australian soldiers showed both great strength and bravery. The Australian identity has been greatly influenced by ww1. As a new country, settlements and population were few. The 3 or 4 million Australians that lived in that day and age stepped up to the plate and hit a would-be homerun if it wasn’t caught out. As the greatest disaster in Australian military history, it goes down, generation to generation, as when the Aussies proved themselves. The Anzac spirit is shared with New Zealand, another small country. The Anzac spirit is known as resilience, bravery, recklessness and a strong sense of mate hood. Australians have stood together through the ages, from shearers strikes to pub fist fight, Australians always side with their mates. Ww1 made Australia famous and earned the respect of many countries. Simpson and his donkey are a great example. In the 24 days Simpson survived at Gallipoli, he rescued over 300 men. He is known for whistling and singing as the bombs and bullets roared. Ww1, famous for the amount of underage soldiers enlisted, was a tragedy. Soldiers, as young as fourteen, died in Gallipoli. This shows the brilliant relationship Australians have with each other. Many men enlisted with their mates. The recklessness and lack of self-preservation showed the world Australia’s courage when it came to warfare. The Australian identity reflects the values the Anzac spirit showed. Both the anzac spirit and the Australian identity are similar. They share the traits of reckless bravery and endurance. This is partially due to the way the Anzac spirit contributed to the Australian identity. Gallipoli was Australia’s first major attempt at war. Their behaviour during the campaign made them well known as they often under took suicidal orders.