Kerry Lee of Waikanae, one of the 22 nationally selected RSA Ex-Servicemen to attend the Anzac Day celebrations at Gallipoli has just arrived home but kindly shared some of his major impressions of it all with Kapiti News writer Ann Reading.
“My first main impression was simply one of awe. The scale of logistics, the number of people and the detailed planning that the Turks put into it all. They did us proud; welcomed us and escorted us – couldn’t do enough for us.”
Mr Lee said he met people from all over the world,
“There were Scots, French, Kiwis, Aussies, Dutch and Canadians. Lots of younger people were there. The bulk of the people I spoke to seemed to be between teens and early thirties.”
He assessed there to be between 9000 and 10,000, “ although the numbers at Anzac Cove seemed to be down a little this year.”
Mr Lee had attended the celebrations at Gallipoli in 1975 whilst serving in the Middle East with the U.N. So how did 2010 compare with his earlier experience?
“It was unbelievable! In 1975 the whole ceremony fitted into the legs of the Turkish memorial, an area 20 metres by 50 metres; half the size of a football field; there was room to move and for the parade to take place.”
He said that now there are grandstands at almost every venue to accommodate 10,000 visitors, and row upon row of busses.
“We had a police escort all the time to get through road blocks and traffic jams. The schools contingent with us were very impressed by the convoy in the dark – motorcycle outriders, police escort and lights flashing – it was very impressive.”
Mr Lee’s second lasting impression was the sheer number of people present.
“In 1975 I took some slides (that were used recently by TVNZ for illustration) but it would have been utterly impossible to have taken anything similar now, there are just too many people.”
Some of the Turkish old soldiers who spoke English told Mr Lee they were so delighted that the Kiwis were there.
“The Gallipoli celebrations are big for them. Gallipoli was the beginning of the new Turkey – it is a place of learning in their history and they are encouraged to visit it. Many make a point of going there during their holidays.”
In addition to the memorials and war graves there are now lots of recreational areas to enjoy.
To illustrate the numbers of busses, Mr Lee said they left the Dawn Parade area at about one a minute yet when the Kiwis’ own bus returned from Anzac Cove, others were still leaving to go down. Also when the Kiwis had visited the Turkish Memorial, Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine – the main battle sites, there were still people just walking back from the beach.
In 1975 there was no road to the beach, just a track, now there is a broad road with turning and parking space for all the busses.
Mr Lee’s third lasting impression “Was just being a part of it all.”
He took more than 390 photographs and some video but his favourite picture that captures the essence of the dawn celebrations was one looking across Anzac Cove into the dawn light with tracks across the water created by floodlights on the parade ground above.
The clusters of white are the flotilla of Gallipoli Rose blooms cast onto waters of the Cove.
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