Anzac Day Came and Went

Anzac Day week came and went the week before last. I started a post but didn't get far, such is the depth of emotions it provokes, in my case mostly anger at the stupidity and callousness of politicians who lead nations into war through economic strategies and hubris. I just wish these bastards would fight amongst themselves and leave the man in the street his taxes to be used in a more positive way. The occupation of Afghanistan is a case in point, it's my opinion that the $billions being spent could be far better utilized.

I find it difficult to write about. I'm not qualified in any way to expand my opinion into a valid article. I do know that late on Anzac Day on SBS there was a show on the Gallipoli campaign that upset me greatly. I turned on the TV for relief after wrestling for hours with the computer to get my book keeping up to date in order to complete my BAS. The show followed the campaign by way of the letters of several soldiers there, some of whom died, and others who survived. According to the show, 8000 Australians died there in 8 months. Altogether including British, French, New Zealanders and Turks, 120,000 soldiers breathed their last. At least the Turks could say they died defending their homeland from invasion. For the British it was a complete waste. The British war cabinet expected the Turks to turn and flee at the sight of the all powerful British Navy. Such is the arrogance of power.

Sister Meredith gave me some information around Anzac Day about my great great grandfather on my father's side, Charles Brown, who died in Terang in 1906, aged 73 years. Meredith took a few days off in March and found Charles Brown's grave in the Terang cemetery. She has researched on the internet to find that he changed his name from Karl Heinrich Bruhn which was his birth name when he was born in Hamburg Germany. He first visited Victoria at age 14. He spent 7 years sea voyaging between Hamburg and Australia. It's believed he jumped ship as a young man, would have been around the time of the gold rush and settled in the Barrabool Hills district where in 1862 he married Emily Parker who arrived from England on 'The Aden' in 1849 with her family when she was 10 years old. One of their daughters married a 'Williams'.

So my grandfather's grandfather was full blood German. I don't know how many brothers and sisters he had in Germany, but there's every chance my relatives were trying to slaughter each other in WW1, for God, King and country. Same God too.