While those admirable and able were braving a cold Melbourne autumn morning, waking at the crack’ to head to dawn services I rolled over in my bunk bed sweating with the sun in my face and the sound of 3 different languages around me. Shamefully this was he first time I’d be awake at the right time/in the right state for the dawn service in years and unfortunately I was on the other side of the world.
I decided to take a walk around Playa Del Carmen by myself in the blistering heat before stopping at a street stall to grab some breaky. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened Facebook at the amount of people finishing up at the service. Being a man of leisure these days I’m finding more and more time is being spent on facey and only last week became one of ‘those people’ I can’t stand. Some cyber war had started aimed at a local water company in Australia which had put out a warning to residents to boil their tap water until further notice. The complaints flowing in really had me in a rage; why don’t these people understand how lucky they are to have tap water in the first place? I took the bait called them all whingers and stated the above, not caring what the backlash would be for my keyboard hero attempt.
It’s not just tap water we seem to take for granted in Australia. The ability to so easily express ones opinion is simply non-existent in Cuba, along with wifi and easy access to anything outside their country. Every Mexican I’ve met in the last two months has told me tales of lost family and friends, all of whom meeting their maker too soon and too horrifically for many Aussies to imagine. High school friends chopped to pieces before graduation, uncles gunned down on their way to work, sisters being pulled over on the way to their wedding by cartels because her driver honked his horn at them.
Later that day I sat on a rooftop of my Israeli friends hotel as he showed me photos of the boys he knew who died during their compulsory service. “It’s sad because we all can’t wait to come here…” He says pointing at the view we had of the beach from the pool. Playa is full of Israeli’s at the moment all here after there 3 years compulsory military service straight after high school. No ‘schoolies’ for this lot. Three nights ago we were downstairs in their kitchen partaking in 2 minutes of silence at 3am, the sound of a siren playing through the Israeli radio. It was Memorial Day for Israel and I’m told the entire country stops at the same time(including the highway) for the whole two minutes.
Whilst being the first to admit I’ve not always shown adequate respect on ANZAC day in the years previous, it really saddens me to hear the issues we as Aussies get so hung up on. What does give me hope, is seeing snapchats from my friend Cheree, awake at whatever hour it was heading to show she cares. Or my friend Quinn telling stories about teaching her kids the meaning of such an important day. And the beautiful photos my old boss took of the trail of poppies down St. Kilda road, one comment saying the turn out was record breaking. There is no doubt in my mind that I was born in the luckiest country on earth and it has made my heart swell with pride seeing people all over Australia/NZ get together to show that they not only agree with me, but they say thank you to the ones who have given this to us. Lest We Forget.