‘The one day of the century‘, Airminded, 3 May 2015
A level-headed description of the writer’s personal ‘Anzac journey’ plus a comment on Anzac commemoration 2015. The comment on screaming military jets in fly-past deserves quoting:
So why do I have a problem with that Hornet flypast? After all, it is a very nice example of aerial theatre, so it should be grist to my mill. And so it is, which is why it troubles me. Firstly, the deafening roar which could be heard all over town [Armidale, NSW] meant that, in effect, you were forced to participate in the Anzac Day commemoration whether you wanted to or not. Secondly, a fast and loud pass by a modern jet fighter seems less like respectful commemoration and more like outright militarism. And thirdly, Armidale has a small refugee population drawn largely from South Sudan, as well as migrants and students from all over the world. It’s likely that there are people living here for whom a military jet flying fast and low overhead evokes neither contemplation nor excitement, but sheer terror.
