Warrigal
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- Location
- Sydney, Australia
The usual ANZAC Day services at Gallipoli in Turkey and Villers-Bretonneux in France will still take place tomorrow in spite of some concerns about possible, even likely, terrorist attacks. The numbers of Australians congregating at both sites is less than usual and perhaps that is a good thing.
Security is very tight but I will breathe a sigh of relief when the day is over. I will be watching all of the services on TV.
Security is very tight but I will breathe a sigh of relief when the day is over. I will be watching all of the services on TV.
Anzac Day 2016: In terror-hit France, Australian visitor numbers are down
Date April 24, 2016
Nick Miller
Europe Correspondent
Preparations: The Department of Veterans Affairs is expecting about 3000 visitors to the dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux this year. Photo: Nick Miller
Villers-Bretonneux: After the recent terror attacks in Europe, the staff, students and parents of Oakhill College debated whether their biennial overseas rugby trip should keep France on the itinerary as originally planned.
But it turned out not to be a difficult decision.
"We were all on the same page," said sports master Andrew Wisemantel. "We can't let the terrorists win."
Paying their respects: Oakhill College school students at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, France. Photo: Nick Miller
On Saturday the team gathered at the Australian National Memorial near Villers-Bretonneux, on a day trip from Paris, to get a brief sense of the atmosphere and history of the Somme.
They gathered around a flagpole, arm in arm, and sang the national anthem with a teenage mixture of determination and embarrassment.
But they were there, and they sensed it was important.
Time to reflect: The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. Photo: Nick Miller
"Getting to know the history, the importance of Australia in the war, it's been a pretty cool experience," said Jack Brewer, 17. "It's important to stay in touch with the traditions of Anzac and the dawn service. And it's a better experience being here, seeing a different side of it. It makes the traditions sink in a bit more."
But Sydney's Oakhill College is this year the exception, not the rule.
Visitor numbers are down all across France. At this time of year the country lanes are usually humming with Australian bus tours, school bands lugging their instruments between town halls and pensioners clutching their research and one-upping each other with historical factoids.
But at the Musee Franco-Australien in Villers-Bretonneux, Melanie Driencourt looked out at an empty hall from behind a silent cash register. "It's very quiet," she said. "We have nearly 50 per cent less than last year." School groups have been phoning up, apologising for cancelling their long-planned visits, she said. "It's not a good year for us, it's very terrible for this anniversary."
Almost 20 school groups have cancelled since November, the month of the Paris attacks. She has heard from restaurant owners, usually full, who have 20 fewer diners each night. One tour operator, Albatross, told her that instead of the usual two-to-three coaches a day, it was running only one – and that was half full.
Clearly, the fear of terror attacks has kept people away. But she hopes some may just be delaying their travel - coming for the centenaries of the battles of Fromelles and Pozieres later this year.
Villers-Bretonneux mayor Patrick Simon said he hoped to see a resurgence of numbers in the next two years.
"We must have less fear," he said. "We must be standing in France, independent of all this. We have to show we are not scared." But he had no criticism for those sending their apologies this year. "It's understandable," he said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is expecting about 3,000 visitors to the dawn service at Villers this year, though it has optimistically put out seating for many more. This is less than half the 6,500 who attended in 2015. Security has been significantly tightened compared with previous years – though there is no knowledge of a direct threat. Attendees at the dawn service will go through airport-style screening, and French security services will clear the site a few hours before the service for a thorough search with sniffer dogs.
Major-General Dave Chalmers, head of the commemorations and war graves division at Veterans Affairs, said the government wouldn't tell people to come or not to come – it was up to individuals to make the decision. It is a change of policy – usually the department likes to encourage involvement, especially by young people, in commemorative services in Australia and overseas.
"It's one of the many impacts that terrorism has on our society and life, and we have to make our way through," General Chalmers said. "What we can do is ensure the service is conducted in a safe environment. "It's always been a very special part of our dawn services to see the very young, and young Australian adults here, and to see on their faces the emotion of the experience. It's an Australian rite of passage, isn't it, to gain and be part of that whole national Anzac story."
http://www.smh.com.au/world/anzac-d...visitor-numbers-are-down-20160424-godqce.html
