I'm back from my travels now and I will be posting photos of some of the places we visited while we were in Canberra.
Our first stop was at the Australian War Memorial and this is a collage of the closing ceremony.
The ceremony begins with the Australian national anthem followed by the piper's lament. Visitors are invited to lay wreaths and floral tributes beside the Pool of Reflection. An individual's story is told, and the Ode is recited by Australian Defence Force personnel. The ceremony ends with the sounding of the Last Post.
Beautiful collage Babs, they are still very moving places and ceremonies to attend especially during the minutes silence and the playing of the last post, "Lest we forget":)
Piece of trivia for you, can't vouch for the accuracy. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that where the Ode's words are usually rendered as 'and the years condemn', the last word should be 'contemn', an archaic variant from 'contempt'. Being a semantic nerd this has long intrigued me.
Being a military wife for so many years I have lost count of the number of times I have heard the last post, but it still brings a lump to the throat every time I hear it.
The closing ceremony is always a very moving experience.
This looks a very interesting and moving place. We have been to Menin Gate in Belgium a few times and I cannot listen to the last post without a lump in my throat. Looks like you had a great time.
February 2nd, 2019
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Being a military wife for so many years I have lost count of the number of times I have heard the last post, but it still brings a lump to the throat every time I hear it.
The closing ceremony is always a very moving experience.
Interesting trivia about the Ode. I will have to look into that and let you know.