Instead of all that marching and parading and myth-making that goes with ANZAC Day, we could do a whole lot better by watching and quietly reflecting on the message in this, the most anti-war movie of all anti-war movies, "All Quiet on the Western Front".
For a more authentic experience, read the book in its German original here
or listen to the German audiobook:
Not that I have much faith in us ever being able to defend Australia against a determined aggressor, certainly not since our defence forces are marching in Gay Pride parades and little boys, still too young to drive a car or vote in an election, are told they can be little girls.
Let's hope we can depend on Geoffrey Blailey's "Tyranny of Distance" to leave Australia unconquerable - although, becoming 100% reliant on imported petroleum by 2030, all they'd have to do is blockade the sea lanes and we'd all be watching television by candle light (not that this would matter all that much any more as by that stage our all-important world-wide internet access would already have been cut anyway).
As for the ANZAC spirit, I never thought I'd see signs on empty shelves in supermarkets saying 'Aggressive and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated; our team is here to help, not to be hurt', as panic-buying shoppers stripped shelves bare and fought over rolls of toilet paper.
Lest we forget!
