AS THE Dawn Service got underway in Gallipoli, the spectacular sight of 100 surf boats landing on the beach at Collaroy has helped commemorate the 100 years since the now legendary Gallipoli landings.
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South Curl Curl Surf Life Saving club partnered with Turkish household appliance giant beko to see 100 surf boats crewed by Australian, Turkish and New Zealanders simulate the Gallipoli landings at Collaroy Beach to mark this special anniversary in an iconic Australian way.
Included was a surf boat and crew from Tathra.
This commemorative event was held at 12.15pm on Saturday to align with the Dawn Service at Gallipoli.
After the surf boats landed, a member of each crew was handed a commemorative wreath, presented by a representative of a symbolically significant 100 schools, as a small token of thanks to those who served and sacrificed so much.
Crews then returned to sea after the ceremony, raised their oars and presented the wreaths to the depths.
In the lead up to Anzac Day the participating 100 schools researched and recaptured, in creative essays, the actions of the Anzac and Turkish forces involved in conflict in order to help young Australians appreciate the significance of the sacrifices made by their predecessors.
Through this positive engagement, the students came to better appreciate the unique legacy of our national history and more fully understand the extent of the hardship endured—and the courage displayed—by Turks and Anzacs alike.
As a thank you to the participating schools, a pine sapling that is a genetic descendant of the pine trees from the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli, was presented to each participating school.
These saplings are a memento to symbolise both the passing of our great Anzac tradition from one generation of Australians to the next and in commemoration of a new generation of understanding.
The Gallipoli campaign is often referred to as the moment that Australia and New Zealand came of age.
The same campaign set in motion events that later saw the Turkish commander, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, go on to become the first President of Turkey, and was credited as being the founder of the Republic of Turkey.
Gallipoli in effect was the birth of these three great nations, and the start of an ongoing friendship that endures to this day.
