Killarney "Australian children are inculcated into Gallipoli glamour as early as pre-school and are coached throughout childhood via a multi-million-dollar, public-funded national curriculum and lucrative Anzac industry to revere Gallipoli as encompassing everything it means to be Australian.
It's important because anyone who wants to write an article or book, or make a film, produce curriculum materials, take a pilgrimage tour etc will have no trouble whatever in receiving one of the hundreds, indeed thousands, of grants handed out every year by the Dept of Veterans Affairs, the RSL, the Department of Defence and the Australian War Memorial, which are little more than propaganda machines to militarise Australian culture and history."

This is the same with all enculturation. Take the "victimhood industry" for example. It has to be taught and funded by the millions. Kids and adolescents have to be taught through the education curriculum that the white male is the cause of all misery and that the socialist utopia requires the introjection of guilt into white males along with sprouting the fantasy of equality.

'The Lefty campaign to kill off ANZAC day with plays like "The One Day of the Year" failed, the marches got bigger.'

On the contrary, it was very successful. Not so much a campaign, but a general groundswell anti-war movement from the sixties through to the early nineties, virtually killed off Anzac Day. By about 1990, the RSL were bitterly complaining that attendance at dawn services around the country could be counted in single digits.

What changed this scenario was the wave of backlash conservatism, emanating from the US, which swamped the Western world from the late 80s onwards. In Australia, along with many other capitulations to conservatism, the Keating government launched a deliberate revival of the all but dead Anzac Day and Gallipoli tradition, and this was taken to the level of obsession by the Howard government. No amount of money, publicity or symbolic hyperbole has been spared in putting Anzac Day and Gallipoli front and centre of the entire culture.

Yes, the marches are getting bigger - commensurate with the ridiculously increasing budget allocated to promoting them, and which the media heavily profits from.

Unlike conflict, which is part of the human experience, war is unnatural. It's in people's natures to reject war - which is why it has to be glammed up and drenched with honour and glory to make it palatable to the masses. Take away the expensive promotional infrastructure of Anzac Day and people will most likely lose interest in it.

Australia hasn't experienced a war of independence or a murderous civil war
mac,
don't be too impatient, give it a few thousand more boat people without I.d. & you'll get that war.

Peter is President of Honest History, a coalition of historians and others supporting the balanced and honest presentation and use of our history in the context of the centenary of WWI. You can find out more by emailing admin@honesthistory.net.au

and historians will 'rediscover' other equally 'significant' events.
Candide,
It won't be long now before they'll start discovering truths left right & centre, it'll be necessary for continued funding. There are some real experts out there in doing that.

Personally (lived/visited Turkey on and off over 20 years) and I become upset when young backpackers, who no doubt draped an Oz flag on their shoulders while visiting, shove the nationalism down one's throat, without reflection.

Howard made Gallipoli popular as a supposedly integral part of Australian culture (and other perceived icons) and his political strategy of playing up to nationalism.

However, for all the supposed importance of and ties to Gallipoli local communities benefit little, and as of several years ago, neither local nor regional education institutions had student exchanges, sponsorships etc.. but Australia has an Honorary Consul in Canakkale (campaign name Turks use and opposite Gelibolu, while ANZAC day gets a few news lines, but not important in Turkey).

The focus has always been an annual one off celebration or event for backpackers and tourists, while public servants and politicians get to junket; but the significant travel spend goes to Istanbul and international travel companies., not the community.