AustLit

The legend of The ANZAC spirit is a topic which has generated a great deal of discussion and debate over the years since 1915. General Sir Ian Hamilton’s introduction to Bud the Monkey, and Other Tales of Soldiers’ Pets (1932) demonstrates the high esteem in which the ANZACs were held: “But the chief distinction of an Anzac is that he was the first, the biggest, and the finest of all the war exports of Australia and New Zealand”. Gradually, through Australia’s involvement in subsequent wars, these sentiments led to the development of an ‘ANZAC spirit’ which epitomises courage and endurance in the face of adversity rather than refer specifically to those who fought at Gallipoli. While fervour surrounding the ANZAC Tradition has waxed and waned in the intervening years it is currently enjoying a period of popularity. Attending the commemoration ceremonies at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day is undertaken as a pilgrimage by tens of thousands of Australians each year. The Australians at War website (see below) suggests: “The Anzac spirit will only remain relevant in the future if the Gallipoli tradition can be re-interpreted”. In engaging with both the CLDR texts and the contemporary texts and resources listed on this Trail the following question could be considered: "How do the contemporary texts under study reinterpret the ANZAC tradition as it is represented in the CLDR texts?"