Academic shares story of emotional trip to Gallipoli

Academic shares story of emotional trip to Gallipoli

Associate Professor Carol Mutch has returned from an emotional trip to Turkey where she accompanied her son to the 100th Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli.
 
Carol, head of Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, travelled to Gallipoli with her son, Nicholas, who received two attendance passes in last year’s ballot to the 100thAnzac Day commemorations.
 
They found the journey a powerful and moving experience that they will never forget.
 
On April 23rd, two days before the commemorations, the pair took a tour around the peninsula and saw for themselves the environment and difficult terrain our soldiers had to contend with.
 
“I got really emotional when I saw sign posts to places like Shrapnel Valley. It was like, wow, I feel like I know this place.”
 
“It was all very overwhelming. You just kept coming across cemetery after cemetery.”
 
It was particularly moving when they walked across the beach at ANZAC Cove.
 
“Just to stand there and go, my goodness, 100 years ago today this is what they were aiming for. Those men came across these stones.”
 
The pair picked wild poppies and placed them on the grave stones of ANZACS.
 
They then visited the trenches up a road between Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair.
 
“One side ours, one side, Turk. They’re literally a single lane road across, they were that close.
 
“To go through the trenches is quite eerie and chilling.”
 
On the evening of the 24th as they were making their way to the ceremony they walked along the road above ANZAC Cove. In the distance as the sun set Carol and Nicholas could see the outline of the island of Lemnos, where ANZAC troops waited before they were set out for Gallipoli.
 
“It was quite emotional walking along there with the sun going down, people really, really quiet and sombre and you’re just thinking when the sun went down…all those men were waiting on the ships behind those islands, thinking they were out for an adventure.”
 
They were two of 10,500 people attending the commemorations, and it took from the afternoon of the 24th  until3am on the 25th  to get people off the buses and through security to the seating area at North Beach
 
The dawn ceremony started in dramatic fashion with the lights going out at 5am, turning the area pitch black. The darkness was punctuated by the sound of a lone didgeridoo playing under a tiny spot of light.
 
“The sound was just spine tingling,” Carol says.
 
In the cove, a warship and 12 frigates moved slowly closer to shore, their lights getting ever closer to the beach.
 
“There wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the house as you’re sitting there. It’s cold and dark and these lights are coming towards you. It’s something people will remember for some time to come.”
 
“Many tears flowed in that first half an hour. It was such a privilege to be there. And all the time the lights from these ships were coming towards you and from behind you could see the streaks of light as daylight approached.
 
“This is where we are, this is who we are as New Zealanders. This is part of our nation, were we’ve come from and where we are now. It was an absolute privilege to be there.”

ENDS

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