Proud Sponsors of the Annual Queensland ANZAC Day Badge Appeal
ANZAC Day badges have been sold in Queensland since 1916 and are the principal source of income of the ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee (Queensland) Incorporated. At 6.45am on the 25 April 1916, an ANZAC service was held at Serapeum, Egypt. Gallipoli veterans on parade wore a blue ribbon on their right breast and those who had originally landed on 25 April 1915 wore a red ribbon in addition. The Queensland badges were originally blue, symbolic of those worn by the soldiers on that first anniversary. The first ANZAC badges were not intended to make a profit, but rather, only cover costs. However, the overwhelming generosity of the public had not been anticipated. It was the Committee's decision to place the profits from ANZAC badge sales into a Trust to be used for the care and upkeep of graves at Gallipoli. The formation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1917 made future fund-raising for this purpose unnecessary. Post war, funds were required for the erection of memorials, the care and upkeep of war graves in Australia and to assist returned war veterans. (The ADCC contributed a substantial amount towards the construction of the Shrine in ANZAC Square, Queensland's National War Memorial.) Today, the annual ANZAC Day Badge Appeal is conducted throughout the state. Whilst few new memorials are being constructed, many of those erected to the memory of WWI casualties now require restoration to repair the ravages of time; the aging WW2 veterans need on-going support and the incumbent committee accepts a responsibility towards the youth of today, that through educational material, we can instill in them a pride in their heritage and a better understanding of the sacrifices made by the brave young men who landed at Gallipoli and those who followed their example in later conflicts. On 25 April each year the veterans proudly wear their medals as they march in the ANZAC Parade. The wearing of an ANZAC Day badge is our way of showing that we have not forgotten the sacrifices made that we might live in peace. |
