A MacKillop College student delivered an inspiring speech about the spirit of mateship during Port Macqaurie's Anzac Day main service on Tuesday, April 25.
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Maeve Kinchington paid tribute to all the Anzacs who served overseas and the sacrifices they made to forge Australia's national identity.
Her unique perspectives on war, courage, mateship and loss sends a message worth sharing with the wider community. The speech is copied in full below.
Anzac Day speech:
All is still in the air. Not a breath of wind shivers amongst the glittering sky. The dark lulling water laps against the side of the boats as they pull into shore. Anticipation and nervousness run wild in the deafening silence. If only those moments would have lasted.
It was this very morning 108 years ago that 16000 Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula, troops from every corner of this newfound nation we called Australia. From the sweeping plains, ragged mountains and rolling shores, from the big city and outback towns.
At eighteen minutes past four in the morning on Sunday the 25th April, the Anzacs leapt onto the shores of Gallipoli where the first shots of war, for Australia, were fired.
These moments are what Australian War historian Charles Bean would later call Australia and New Zealand's baptism of fire. Today we commemorate the Anzacs including the 2000 casualties that Gallipoli took within the first day and night.
Historians, Henry Reynolds and Marilyn Lake argued in 2010 that the key premise of the Anzac legend is that nations and men are made in war. It is an idea that had currency a hundred years ago.
Is it not now time for Australia to cast it aside? I would argue, not so fast Mate!
While many nations still struggle under the mistaken assumption that their wartime experiences should be glorified and striven for continually.
Bonds of mateship were and are forged in the face of danger, hardship, and adversity.
- Maeve Kinchington
We only need to look at the ongoing divisions in the US around their civil war history, or to Russia and their attempt to reclaim former territories and military glories in the Ukraine war to realise the futility of hanging onto past military legends.
It is important to remember and honour the sacrifices of those who have served in times of war, but we should not be defined solely by wartime experiences. As a society, we should strive to learn from history, but also to move forward and create a better future for ourselves and future generations.
It is from these moments at Gallipoli and moments of war that we established some of our most valued traits as Australians; courage, endurance, egalitarianism, and one that stands out, mateship.
As a young person I see this mateship not only looking back on the shores of Gallipoli but on the news, in my community and in my friends.
It is like a bond, something that connects each and every Australian, something that resonates deeply within all of us; it's the reason we call everyone a 'mate', it's why we have our neighbours' friends' dogs' backs and why above all we are team players.
Learning about the events of the 25th April 1915 and Gallipoli in Primary School, I remember the story of private Simspon and his donkey.
This is what my teachers showed me and what has continued to stick with me. The friendship, the loyalty, the morale and the resilience of the ANZACs is what we must take from those moments as the troops scrambled ashore the rugged beaches of Gallipoli, from the countless loss and horrors they faced.
Bonds of mateship were and are forged in the face of danger, hardship, and adversity. Soldiers who fought together in the ANZAC forces were known for looking out for each other, sharing resources, and supporting each other emotionally and physically.
However, why do we continue to value ANZAC Day 108 years on?
For me it is the notion of this mateship that highlights the importance and continued presence of loyalty, selflessness and teamwork in the face of adversity, emphasising the strength and resilience that can be gained through relationships, this notion is one of the reasons we continue to take part in ANZAC Day today whilst also commemorating those who risked everything and those who lost their lives.
It is about remembering the sacrifices made whilst also celebrating what it is to be Australian today and recognising that the ANZAC memory is a central part of who we are as Australians.
The ANZAC mateship is still evident and relevant today in many ways for us as young people. The strong sporting culture that is so prominent in our society encompasses the Anzac spirit of mateship.
The feeling of success and celebrating with your mates after a game or sometimes the feeling of loss and most importantly supporting your mates, shaking their hand and clapping them on the back as you walk off the field.
Mateship is at the heart of Australian sporting culture and is one of the reasons we are so prolific and strong in so many sports, this spirit can be traced from the battlefield of the Anzacs to the sporting fields today.
In my own friends and in the people that surround me I see such strong bonds, such a strong sense of mateship forms amongst young people, this bond is so important as a support system as we forge our way through a society that can be very difficult to navigate, just as the Anzacs supported each other through the terrible ordeal of Gallipoli.
This spirit is what we must remember today when we commemorate Anzac Day, it is what we must learn from for the future.
As Ash Barty quotes, "It's never over until we're shaking hands at the net. Then you've either won or you've lost, and - either way - you look them in the eye and say, 'Well played, mate."
Overall, the ANZAC mateship is still relevant and evident today in many aspects of Australian culture. It highlights the importance of mutual support, loyalty, and teamwork, which are values that continue to be highly important in Australian society.
