When poor planning and management costs not only a once in a lifetime memory but makes a mockery of a historic anniversary.
I was born and raised in Australia. While I did a brief stint living and working in the states, Australia is and will always be my home. I’m not one that is wildly patriotic, but I am grateful to live in a country where we have so many freedoms and we have such a strong culture of mateship, honoring our history and also remembering those that fought for our country and still do today.
Today (April 25th) is ANZAC Day.
The day is celebrated every year, and is a commemoration of those who 100 years anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landing in Gallipoli in 1915. Growing up as a kid, it is taught to you about the battle, about our soldiers being sent off to war and that many of them were nothing more than scared teenagers that were called up and went to fight for their county. They were wildly unprepared for the battle and the terrain and many of them lost their lives on the beach as they were getting off the boats.
War in any era or age is not something we want anyone we know or otherwise want to have to send people off to. I admire those that willingly sign up to be a part of our defense force to do as they’re asked and are sent off to fight and protect. I was fortunate a few years ago to live in Townsville where one of Australia’s biggest army bases is located. Living and working there I made a great number of friends who were in the Army and I still have those friends today.
It wasn’t until I got to know these people did I understand their jobs, what they went through, the worry you have about when they get deployed and also seeing them when they come back and how hard it is for them to acclimate in society too. I don’t even know firsthand what they went through, nor will I ever, but I have a large amount of love and respect for these people and my friends.
As someone that works in Marketing and you’re always looking to have promotional activity around specific events I have always been mindful of ensuring that any activity associated, communicated in conjunction with ANZAC day has always been tasteful and respectful. That my staff ensure that they’re not using a day with so much historic meaning and one that is not just a day where the meaning is lost and made into a media or club land skeptical.
To the people that are complaining about not getting a 3 day weekend! It’s not a day for you to get sauced and have a day off work; it’s about remembrance and gratitude. To the people that are thinking of calling out sick on Monday because you don’t get an extra day off that you so feel your owed, remember those that didn’t come home, that lost their lives so that you could enjoy the life that you do now. To those venues that use tacky artwork of babes in camo outfits, remember the diggers that were in the trenches for days in torn, sweaty and dirty uniforms, you’re making a mockery out of the uniform and what it stood for.
For those of you that use the words “come party with us”, is it really what you think the day is about? Would you dance at a funeral or the day that your friends or family died fighting to protect you and everyone else? The day is and should be a remembrances, about celebrating mateship, about these men and women, their horses and their donkeys that went off to war, left their friends and family and did what was asked of them. How many youth today would be able to even leave their smart phones or the bedrooms of their parents’ home to go off to war? How many parents would be ok with that happening?
I got a message not long ago from someone I worked with sharing an article with me about a prominent inner city venue that’s sound checks and loud music disrupted the dawn service in the city, even going as far to thud over the minutes silence In the media the venue apologised and blamed an external contractor who they fired. The event they were sound testing for started at 12pm today! Seriously would it have been that bad to wait a few hours and knowing that the service was just around the corner from the venue?
Not only is this in bad taste, but I am actually pretty disgusted for them,. While I wasn’t at the dawn service and everyone shows their respects in other ways, I cant begin to imagine how intrusive and disturbing this may have been for those family members, members of the community and society that attended. I actually felt ill t my stomach reading this and embarrassed for them that something like this happened.
This is not something you can “do over”, this is not something you can say sorry for, this is a massive error in judgement that people will remember. This should have been a spelling moment for people to come together to pay homage, their respects and it was the 100 year anniversary. This is a firm example of common sense not being in existence or in play.
I’m not sure any level of public apology, of people getting fired is even a suitable response for what occurred. I’m never going to work for this group, so I’ve no issues in speaking out. If this had happened at a venue I was working at I can assure you I’d of handed my resignation in then and there as I would have been mortified to be associated with something like this happening.
I’m embarrassed for them, and for an industry which is already being hard hit by the lock out laws, you’re doing any of us any favours by having something like this occur. Public opinion and popularity/ perception of a minority which people associate with the majority, is already in play.
While I might not have been there and I sure there’s “an explanation for it”, save it. Why not make a sizeable donation to the Veteran Affairs and pull your head in.
As someone that works in and has worked in event production, special events and a venue, you should always be mindful of what is happening and something like this is a pretty major over site. Let this if anything serve as an example of not what to do and learn from another’s pretty monumental mistake.
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