ANZAC Day, for ex-serviceman Russell Summers, is a day of reminiscence and reflection.
“That’s what Anzac Day is really about – that ability to have one day a year that is genuinely set aside to be able to reflect on your life and the lives of mates that are no longer with you, and to be able to actually remember,” Mr Summers told The Guardian.
Mr Summers served in the army’s 126 Signal Squadron, a small, localised unit, in the mid-1980s.
“I discovered a mateship among the guys there that related very much to family to me – I didn’t necessarily fully understand a lot of aspects, but what I did understand was that family within the army was paramount, it was as good as actually being blood-related to people,” he said.
Getting to gather with some mates from his former unit, as well as other ex-service people, is something about Anzac Day that Mr Summers particularly looks forward to.
“I miss what had become my family, and the ability to remember many of my old mates in an environment where if it gets too much, there are others around me that will talk me through the pain,” Mr Summers said.
“Likewise, I can do that for people I might have never met, but we share something in common, the experiences and ideology that comes from serving Australia.”
While it has been suggested that commemorative days like Anzac Day glorify war, Mr Summers strongly disagrees.
“I think perhaps some civilians may have that perception sometimes because of the fact that they will overhear a conversation that they may not necessarily hear complete,” Mr Summers said.
“For instance, if somebody was talking about somewhere where they have been, they might not necessarily hear about the pain of why they were there.
“If anything, it is just purely the pain of loss – the loss of friends, the loss of family, knowing that even somebody who has come back in one piece has never really ever come back in one piece.”
Mr Summers urges people attending Anzac Day ceremonies across the region to be mindful of service personnel.
“I will ask that people remember that although this is in relation to the Gallipoli landing, many service personnel do use it as a day of remembrance of their mates,” he said.
“You may never know the story of the person who looks like they are sitting by themselves, in their mind they might be sitting with mates long lost or recently lost – be kind, and don’t interrupt unless you are genuinely there for them.”
The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, phone 1800 011 046, provides 24/7 free and confidential Australia-wide counselling and support to veterans and their families for war and service-related mental health and wellbeing conditions.
