柯拿，大家好，

旅行返嚟，足足成個月。已經好勤力咁執番啲遊記，而家只係寫咗11篇，登咗喺我個 blog 。冇壞，長寫長有，繼續努力。

今日係難得嘅一日額外假期，ANZAC Day 澳紐軍團日。法例規定， 各大商場，必須休息。袋鼠佬，視澳紐軍團日，比國慶日更重要。

每年今日，好似全國一樣，雪梨市中心有巡遊。現職及退伍軍人，同埋已逝軍人嘅親人、子孫，配帶起用血汗換嚟嘅徽章，參加巡遊。我哋冇份巡遊，校友會一行三十幾人，走去遠足行大運。出發時，天陰陰，行行下，仲落起雨。大家邊行邊雞啄唔斷傾偈。落雨？我哋冇有怕！唔駛兩個鐘就行完。

咦，唔夠皮噃，繼續去飮茶再噏過。卒之飲到三點，大家至肯返歸。一日假期，咁又玩完。

返屋企食飯睇電視，新聞報導員襟上，都佩戴一小撮迷迭香葉 Rosemary，佢象徵永誌不忘。尤其係 ANZAC Day, 更有獨特意義， 因為迷迭香，係土耳其加里波利半島 Galipolli  常見嘅植物。

澳紐軍團，ANZAC ，一百年前組成。第一次世界大戰，打到火紅火綠之時。1914年11月，澳、紐兩國組成聯軍參戰。袋鼠佬啱啱喺1901年組成澳洲聯邦政府，而家大個仔嘞，第一次用新國家嘅名義，參加國際事務，唔可以衰畀人睇。所以揀去參戰嘅，全部係澳洲精英，個個高大靚仔，非常有台型。

澳洲佬，長年喺鄕下地方。見慣嘅係澳洲土著、袋鼠。有幾何見惡人，佢哋低估戰爭嘅殘酷。當時招募軍人，好多唔夠秤嘅後生仔，隱瞞年齡去參軍。當時要年過十六至可參軍，但後來發現有細到 13 歲！ 今年參加巡遊嘅退伍軍人，有一個係碩果僅存嘅當年 under 16。 而家末期癌症，佢話唔知出年仲有冇得行。

1915年，大戰嘅決勝年，聯軍決定攻打鄂圖曼帝國。澳紐軍團派到任務，要登陸土耳其，加里波利。澳紐聯軍接受英國將軍指揮，嗰時又冇雷達 、冇GPS，天氣又唔好。卒之喺一個海灣登陸，聯軍一埋海灘，已經受嚟自四面八方嘅狙擊。原來行錯地方，海灣都係高地，鄂圖曼軍隊居高臨下，而聯軍則無險可守，自然任人宰殺，死傷慘重。

登陸呢一日，就係1915年4月25日。如是者，聯軍有時進攻，有時退卻，拖拖拉拉，打咗八個月，至11月至退兵。

呢次加里波里戰役，明顯係一個失敗嘅戰役。損失咗八千幾條袋鼠命，二萬個澳洲青年受傷，直情係一個大失敗。但係呢個戰伇，第一次顯示澳洲人嘅獨立身分。所以加里波利戰役，喺澳洲人心目中，舉足輕重。

有一首澳洲民謡，我好鍾意。好啱用口琴吹奏，叫做 Waltzing Matilda ， 佢係非正式嘅澳洲國歌。內容係講一個流浪漢，佢偷咗隻羊，警察追佢，佢跳湖自殺，變咗隻鬼。故事騎呢，十分無厘頭。1977年之前，澳洲仍然用英國國歌。1977年澳洲公役，要揀自己嘅國歌。結果當然係揀咗而家呢首 Advance Australia Fair。但係 Waltzing Matilda 都排第二， 而天祐女王只排第三。

今時今日好多重要場合，仍然會唱、或奏  Waltzing Matilda。

Waltzing Matilda 亦係軍樂必奏之曲。當年，1915年，澳洲軍人遠征歐洲戰場，喺雪梨港 Circular Quay 送別軍人時，奏嘅，就係呢首歌。而軍人由戰場負傷返家，迎接佢哋，又係呢首歌。今日，澳紐軍團日，喺雪梨巡遊，亦係奏 Waltzing Matilda。

退伍軍人再次聽到 Waltzing Matlida，佢哋又會諗起啲乜嘢？ ………

介紹一首歌畀大家：

Check out this video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/cZqN1glz4JY

"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again

Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arise over it
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll go a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll go a waltzing Matilda with me?

再噏過