Applications open!

Want to apply as a Gallipoli Volunteer for 2015? Applications have just opened!

You can find out more on the Conservation Volunteers page of Program notes, and that's us - the wonderful Gallipoli Volunteers 2014 team - in the photo!! - taken at Lone Pine I think. (Any of the GV2014 team are welcome to correct me!)

As the program says - this is an amazing experience that provides volunteers with an opportunity not just to attend, but to be involved in the Anzac Day commemorative services.

Applications close on 27 August 2014.

Going to Gallipoli?

Since being back in New Zealand, it's been great to hear from different people who've said they enjoyed reading this blog while I was away. I'm glad that all the technological challenges were met and overcome, and I managed to find time to record what we were doing each day (or most days!)

Gallipoli is such a special place and I feel as if the landscape has lodged in my heart now. It was also special to share the experience with the Red Coats of 2014, an amazing bunch!!

If you have got a place in the ballot to visit Gallipoli for Anzac Day 2015 - congratulations! You will have an unforgettable time and you can read about what to expect (and keep up to date with news) on this New Zealand Government Gallipoli 2015 site.

For the Aussies, there is a similar site here.

If anyone is interested in applying for the Gallipoli Volunteer Programme for 2015, you can read about it on the Conservation Volunteers Australia site.

Sunset at Anzac Cove, 24 April 2014

Not the only ones

We weren't the only ones having an amazing experience at Gallipoli - here is a lovely blog post by Rebecca Nelson, a New Zealand singer who travelled to Turkey with the New Zealand Defence Force Band. It was Rebecca who sang the New Zealand national anthem at the dawn service and she was also part of the group that sang at Chunuk Bair. It's lovely to read about some other people who also visited many of the same battle sites and cemeteries, bonded together as a close-knit group and felt sometimes overwhelmed by the emotional impact of such a special place.  

Home again

Today it's four weeks exactly since I set off on the way to Gallipoli. It must have been one of the most intense four weeks of my life, full of new sights, new experiences and new friends (and plenty of onboard movies!)

Now I'm sitting at my desk at home, watching the dawn service and Chunuk Bair Anzac service on Maori TV. It almost seems impossible to believe I was actually there, but it's quite true - there I am, about 40 mins in on the Chunuk Bair service (and about 20 mins before the rain arrived.)

Sir Jerry Mateparae, Governor General of NZ, gave a memorable and thoughtful address at both services. I especially like what he said at the dawn service (at about 27 mins): how this time next year, people will be focused on the events of exactly 100 years ago as the first troops landed early in the morning of 25 April 1915, and the Turkish troops up on the hills braced themselves to defend their homeland. This year, he said, we can still reflect on that, but "in the space before the centenary begins", we can also remember the peace that was there 99 years ago before war descended. That peace was something that came through the dawn service, in the sound of muted birdsong and the waves on the beach, and in the crescent moon and glittering stars above, and the line of the hills silhouetted against the blue-black sky.  

"When we remember our brave forebears, we pay them the honour they deserve. It is also a time for reflection on war and its impact, and it is a chance to enlighten new generations about the events that shaped their world, and to encourage them to strive for peace."

He closed by quoting the Ode in Maori: 

I te hekenga atu o te ra,
Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata,
Ka maumāhara tonu tātou ki a rātou.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

I also appreciated the tribute he paid to the Turkish people, "our most gracious hosts".

You can read Sir Jerry's speech at the dawn service here, and his speech at Chunuk Bair here.  

Thanks to Maori TV for great coverage of the event.

Anzac at Gallipoli: in the news

Anzac Day at Gallipoli, as you might have read about it or seen it online:

• Crowds flock to remember fallen (NZ herald, 26 April 2014)

"As we stand here in the peace and quiet of the early morning, we can cast our minds back to the morning 99 years ago, when the soft sounds of waves on the shore, and the gentle rhythmic splashing of oars of the landing boats were soon drowned out by the cacophony of gun fire, the shouts of orders and the screams of wounded men.

"Now, almost a century later, we come together to acknowledge the deeds of those who served in the Gallipoli campaign and to honour their memory and to reflect on all that they endured. There are great feats conducted here and there are those who straggled. Those who stood by their mates, and a few who let them down.

"We should not judge from the distance of history, just as we cannot imagine the suffering and horrors endured by those who served here."

(New Zealand Defence Force Major General Arthur David Gawn )

• From the Sydney morning herald: Gallipoli peninsula ready to greet latest Anzac pilgrims (24 April 2014), Number of Gallipoli pilgrims plummets, Celestial reminders capture Gallipoli spirit and Lovely photos of the Anzac Day service in Gallipoli (25 April 2014) - look for the ones of the moon!

• (I also like this article about the service at Scott Base, held at 10am as there was no dawn.)

• This is my interview with Mark Sainsbury on Radio Live - recorded live from our hotel room on Saturday 26 April, back in Istanbul. (Leonie,  my roommate, was listening into check I got it all right!)
• And this is the Maori TV coverage of the Chunuk Bair service (look out for the Red Coats!)
• And here's an interesting article by Craig Sisterson, a Kiwi crime writing blogger who attended the 2011 Anzac dawn service at Gallipoli 

Sunday 27 April: Farewell dinner

At the Panorama Restaurant, it was too cool to sit outdoors but we went upstairs between courses to admire (and be gobsmacked, yet again, by) the view from the rooftop. The Istanbul skyline was studded with domes and minarets, glowing in the late evening sun. Ships sailed past on the Bosphorus, seabirds wheeled overhead and at eye-level in various directions we could see other rooftop diners also enjoying the view from their own rooftop restaurants. As the sky darkened, many of the buildings were lit up, the bridge was illuminated in stripes of blue and red and a fireworks display burst out over the water.

Our meal was punctuated with speeches and toasts: to “Graeme and the team”, to the Volunteers, to Baris our guide, to “our changed views of Gallipoli”, to “the production team at the Efes brewery” (in tribute to several good nights of celebrations) and, more seriously, to “those who were at Gallipoli in 1915.” Jim, who left the group on our return to Istanbul to join another tour, came back (with his wife, Jan, just arrived from Sydney) to join in the fun. Travel plans for the next week or two were discussed (Vienna, Rome, London) and a birthday cake was brought out for Vin, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, with a rousing chorus of “happy birthday to you”.

We were especially touched that the team leaders, who were as tired post-Gallipoli as the rest of us, had found time to prepare a gift for each of us: a personalised set of prints, including team photos and smaller group photos taken in various locations. There were lots of nice things (all true) said about Baris, who has made such a huge difference to the trip and taught us so much about the Turkish view of Gallipoli.

Our wonderful guide Baris in action

We all feel a sense of accomplishment at what we have achieved, and it’s hard to believe that the trip is nearly over, after all the months of planning and anticipation. It hardly seems any time at all since the team came together at Singapore Airport, and at the same time it feels like years ago as so much has happened since then. We’ve eaten together, shopped together, Turkish-bathed together, partied together (some more than others!) and shared our backgrounds and family stories. Some of us have shared rooms (thank you Leonie for being a great room-mate!)

We've celebrated three birthdays, for Fran, Simone and Vin. We've compared purchases and found out who are the best bargainers Luckily only a couple of people (no names) came down with tummy bugs, and there were plenty of nurses around to give good advice and hand out stocks of travel medicine.There are catch phrases that we’ve come to know (“Lord love ya”, that’ll be you, Simone!) and some team members have been given nicknames: Major Tom, Peter the Great and, in true Aussie fashion, Shorty and Curly (from which you can maybe guess how tall Mick is, and how much hair Jin has, or hasn’t).

But along with all the fun times, there has been a real sense of purpose and dedication, which has made this a unique time for everyone. As Graeme said, our experiences leading up to Anzac Day and on the day itself have created a bond not only with each other but with all the Red Coats of preceding years. We’ve all visited the sites, talked about our individual soldiers, survived the hectic hours as buses arrive and the long hours helping people through the night and then, half asleep on our feet, taken in the dawn service and the services at Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair.

On Monday, the group starts to head off in different directions, starting with Marc who has a 3.30am pick up at the hotel; then Andrea, Rosemary, Anna and me at 5.30am; then 15 people going back to Australia and NZ, Jim and his wife on a cruise down the Bosphorus, .Jane and Nicky to explore Cappadocia, Tom to walk the length of England and Scotland (we know it will be no problem for him!)

Tuesday 22 April: Courtney and Steele's Post, Quinn's Post, the 57th Regiment Memorial, Walker's Ridge and The Nek

At last - there were two other Kiwis at breakfast at our hotel this morning, and we are noticing more and more people around all the time - we don't get the cemeteries to ourselves any more.

This morning we went down to the Anzac Commemorative Site (ACS), which is even busier now with massive preparations underway. Everywhere there are tents and rows of seating going up, portaloos being put in position, sound and light systems being tested. I had no idea before this week of the degree of organisation involved. We had a look round and talked through some of our duties, then went back to the Kum Hotel for another briefing with the people from VANZ (Veterans' Affairs NZ) and the Australian Dept of Veterans' Affairs. 

The weather will play a big part in the proceedings, and various weather forecasts are promising everything from showers to thunderstorms to afternoon temperatures in the high 20s. Numbers at the dawn service have decreased in recent years from 7,500 a few years ago to 5,200 in 2013, but there is a feeling that more people may arrive this year and nobody quite knows how many to expect. 

After lunch at the Kum Hotel, we spent a hot but rewarding afternoon walking round the battle sites and cemeteries on Second Ridge, starting at Courtney and Steele's Post and Quinn's Post and making our way past the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial to finish at Walker's Ridge and The Nek. All of these were precarious and dangerous positions, and the scenes of fierce fighting; the terrain seems impossibly steep for anyone to have scrambled up.

Courtney’s and Steele’s Post cemetery is named after Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Courtney and Major Thomas Steel, both of the 14th Battalion. Quinn’s Post cemetery is named after Captain Hugh Quinn of the 15th Battalion AIF. There are 473 men buried here. The Turks called it Bombasirt (Bomb Ridge) because the Turkish and Anzac  trenches were so close together and the noise of rifle fire and bomb blasts was earsplitting and relentless. 

Cemetery (Quinn's Post?), Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey, circa 1918. Alexander Turnbull Library Ref  PAColl-7082-1

Chaplain Frederick Wray’s diary tells you what a dreadful time they had of it here:

April 28 – At 12.30 reached 14th lines on Quinn’s Corner… at 2.30am buried 29, including two NZ officers.

April 30 – Went up to Quinn’s Corner and buried 5 men.

May 1 – Buried 1 man at Gully cemetery and 9 at Quinn’s Corner.

May 2 – Buried 7 at Gully cemetery and 3 at Quinn’s Corner

May 3 – An awful day… The 16th were enfiladed by machine guns and did not hold their trenches… the 16th lost 400 out of 600, the 13th 200… Saw a sniper get 7 out of 8 at Quinn’s Corner and he got Lt Binnie… I buried 8, including Lts Binnie and Freeman at Quinn’s Corner.

[Chaplain Frederick William Wray, PR00247, AWM]

The views (yet again) were spectacular, especially from Walker's Ridge Cemetery which sits on a sloping hillside, bathed in sunshine, made colourful by irisies and fragrant by rosemary, and overlooking a panorama stretching all the way up to Suvla Bay (with a military helicopter flying past, and the Australian national anthem playing on a loudspeaker somewhere in the background.) It seems strange and scarcely believable that men died here so terribly, within view of such beauty.

The Nek was a track or “neck” of land between Russell’s Top and Baby 700. It may have been named by someone who had fought in the Boer War in South Africa and knew the Afrikaans word “nek”, meaning a mountain pass. There are 316 men buried here, including those who died on 7 August 1915 in the Australian Light Horse attack on the Nek, shown in the 1981 Australian film Gallipoli. Four successive waves of soldiers launched the attack, seeing those in front of them getting mown down and knowing that they were probably going to die too. Of the 550 soldiers, 234 were killed and 138 wounded, many within metres of their own trenches.

The cemetery was made after the end of the war so it sits in what would have been no man’s land. Charles Bean, the Australian historian, said they came back in 1919 to find the bones of those who had died still out in the open, over 300 of them in an area the size of 3 tennis courts.

An aerial photograph of The Nek Cemetery, Anzac, taken on 25 June 1923 [AWM H18635]

Walker's Ridge Cemetery began as two rows of plots dug either side of an Anzac trench, and there is still an open space in the middle. There are 92 men buried here including 40 New Zealanders. One of the Australians, Private Roy Robertson, was only 16 years old when he was killed in November. You can read about other boy soldiers on the Australian Roll of Honour here.

Another Australian soldier has the inscription “Goodbye Cobber, God bless you” on his grave. They were the last words he spoke to the soldier beside him as they both prepared to charge.  Another grave is that of Private Hohepa Herewini from Rotorua who served with the New Zealand Maori Contingent.

A Maori of the Maori Contingent, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, in the trenches of the Apex [AWM G01268]

Our tributes to individual  soldiers continue at each cemetery, and they are often emotional experiences, both for the presenter and for the rest of us. It is a very supportive atmosphere; everyone listens respectfully, and afterwards there are calls of "thanks" and "well done", and sometimes hugs and tears.

Today we also had the privilege of hearing Baris talk about a Turkish soldier: Huseyin Avni Bey, 1871-1 Agustos 1915. Born in Macedonia, the 1^st commander of the 57^th Regiment, this was the man to whom Ataturk gave his famous order ("I don't order you to fight, I order you to die") on 25 April. His tent site became his grave when his tent was hit by a shell. We were honoured to be the first group of Gallipoli Volunteers to visit here, and to see the Turkish memorial site nearby, where the names of 2800 soldiers were recorded on tiers of steps down the hillside. 

These girls were 17 years old, from Ankara and visiting the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial. It had been suggested to us that we bring small NZ and Australian souvenirs to give away to people we met or who helped us along the way. These girls seemed pleased to be given some of my NZ presents. They told me that my Turkish was very good!

Tonight we had free time for dinner and most of us caught the ferry over to Canakkale (with a bit of yelling to the late comers, and a few last minute sprints - apparently they won't hold the ferry, even if you have bought a ticket and are nearly there.) The lemon squeezer salesman on the ferry did a great demo of his product and was flooded by orders from us (a steal at only 1 lire each, although I was so busy taking photos that I'm still not quite sure how it works) We ate sea bass at a cafe on the waterfront and enjoyed watching everyone walking past, although we didn't enjoy quite so much the attentions of the cafe's cats and kittens, as they curled around our legs hoping for leftovers. 

My lovely roomie Leonie

On the ferry back to Eceabat, we talked to several Aussie tourists who have just arrived and will be at the dawn service. It made us realise how much we have learnt over the last few days, because we were able to answer a lot of their questions and we had a much clearer idea of what was in store for them.

Tomorrow we have our last battlefield visits, and possibly an Aegean cruise, weather permitting, so we can see the coastline as the approaching Anzac soldiers would have seen it on the 25th April 1915. From Thursday 24th, it will be all on and there won;t be time for any more blogging until Anzac Day is well and truly over. If you are watching any overage of the Gallipoli services - the dawn service or the later ones at Lone Pine or Chunuk Bair - don,t forget to look out for the Red Coats!

The Gallipoli Simulation Centre

The other thing we did yesterday - our days are crammed full of cemetery tours, walks and other visits - was to visit the new Gallipoli Simulation Centre. 

This is only recently opened and is so new that no previous volunteer groups have been there. There used to be a smaller museum that I have read about and this must have taken over some of its exhibits for the museum section downstairs, which houses a collection of war artefacts in glass cases: relics such as water canteens, digging tools, shells, coins, rings, crosses, pipes, belt buckles, shaving tools and fountain pens - all the every day items of men with few belongings. There is also a display of bullets that hit in mid air. The chances of that happening must be minute, so it shows you how many bullets were flying around.

The Simulation part involves a series of 10 or 11 gallery rooms that tell the story of the 1915 Gallipoli naval and land campaigns, mostly from the Turkish point of view. They use special effects, sometimes 3D glasses, and a headset that translates the Turkish commentary, and an efficient tour leader whisks you from room to room. A school group came after us and I imagine kids would love it. I didn't think the special effects were up to Weta Workshop standard, but it gave us plenty to talk about afterwards and it was interesting to see the many Turkish tourists who were visiting.

After a morning walking round battle sites, and another good lunch at a local hotel, most of us were flagging a little by the time  of our visit, and there was general agreement that the simulation gallery room with the lean back chairs was the best, and we could have comfortably have snoozed off there for an hour or two.

One of the great things about the Gallipoli Volunteer program is that it brings together a disparate group of people, of all ages and backgrounds, who mostly haven't met before (although there are a few coincidences of people who work in the same place, or know of each other) but all have particular reasons for being here and wanting to help out at the Anzac services.

Some of the group have served in the army or air force, in Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan or other places. Many are nurses or paramedics, or studying to become one, or are involved in civil defence. Many have relatives who were in WW1 or WW2. We come from all over NZ (from Northland to Otago) and Australia (nearly every state and territory, from Exmouth in WA to Tasmania.) There are two sisters:  Philippa and Mary Anne; a father and son: Peter and Nick, and a mother and daughter: Rosemary and Anna. It's clearly going to be a meaningful experience for everyone.

But it's not all serious there are plenty of shared laughs as we get to know each other better. Some of us travelling alone are rooming together. The back seats of the bus are getting a reputation. We're starting to identify the party goers and there was (apparently!) evidence of that yesterday at the Kangaroo Bar in Eceabat - I don't have any photos of that!

Way to go!

3 hours from Wellington to Sydney, 8 hours from Sydney to Singapore, 11 hours from Singapore to Istanbul. It still seems a long way to the other side of the world, and how much longer it must have seemed for those soldiers setting off on troopships from NZ and Australia in WW1. Plus we had Singapore Airlines food and movies to help dispel the monotony of hours on a plane, ad all they had once they landed on Gallipoli was bully beef, biscuits, jam and tea - and they had to fight the flies even for those.

Regrouping at Istanbul Airport. Still trying desperately to remember each other's names. 

Istanbul is full of tempting sweet shops...

...and tulips. Apparently they originated here, not in the Netherlands at all, and thousands of them have been planted all over the city, in big and small flowerbeds and at the sides of the roads.

We are managing to stay awake, helped by an introductory walking tour of the city this afternoon, with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable commentary from  our lovely guide Baris, who pointed out lots of places that we might like to revisit on our return after Anzac Day (if we can find them again). In previous years, the group has gone on the bus bus from the airport straight down to Gallipoli, but it has been good to stop and get our bearings for a bit -even if we were lost and confused for most of the time, kept forgetting which way to look for traffic and still couldn't remember everyone's names. The electric trams are new since our last visit to Istanbul and they swoop past alarmingly close to people walking on the pavement.

We walked as far as the Sultanahmet Mosque, enjoying the sights of all the pavement stalls - grilled and charred sweetcorn, simit (rings of bread coated in sesame seeds) and roasted chestnuts; one man was selling mussels with slices of lemon and an enterprising boy was creating Spirograph designs for sale. Another boy was selling rings of sticky coloured toffee which he swirled onto a stick. A sadder sight was the number of families (many apparently Syrian refugees) sitting begging on the streets, parents, young children and babies.

Coloured toffee for sale (very pretty, even if very bad for your teeth!)

Embarrassing Technological Moment no 1: after a crash course in travel technology over the last couple of months (new and first-ever tablet, new and first-ever phone-that-does-more-than-just-send-texts, new software for transferring photos from camera to phone, TravelSim, multi-currency cash card and numerous new passwords), I've come prepared with all the necessary chargers and  plug converters - but had a moment of panic this afternoon when the phone charger wouldn't seem to fit into the plug converter. I managed to find a shop near the hotel that might be able to sell me another one, but they very kindly showed me that I just wasn't fitting it in firmly enough, Here's hoping the rest of the travel technology works OK.

Sitting in our hotel room now, and can hear the evening call to prayer coming over the minarets. We are off to dinner soon at a local restaurant, then tomorrow we have the 5 hour drive down to the Gallipoli peninsula.

View from our room at the Legacy Ottoman Hotel

Looking from the lifts across the atrium to the other side (not the kind of place we ever stayed at in our backpacking days!)

Who are we?

There are 30 of us on the Gallipoli Volunteer program for 2014:

4 leaders and 26 volunteers

24 from Australia and 6 from New Zealand

The Kiwis come from North and South Islands, from Northland down to Otago. (Maybe we will find some Aussies who were born in NZ and claim them as well!)

The Aussies come from all over too, from Darwin down to Tasmania.

Amongst the 30 are a mother and daughter, a father and son and two sisters.

16 women and 14 men (if I have counted correctly). Not everyone has divulged how old they are! but it looks like a wide spread of ages, and one person has said he'll be celebration his 61st birthday on the trip.

Some of us (not many) have been to Turkey before; only a few have been to Gallipoli.

There are nurses and teachers, health workers, army and air force officers, a solicitor, an occupational therapist, a social worker, an aeronautical engineer. Some are retired. Many are involved in volunteer work.

Many of us have a personal connection to World War One through a grandfather, great-uncle or some other relation who served overseas, either at Gallipoli or on the Western Front.

It sounds like a great group full of friendly, enthusiastic and interesting people, and we'll all be looking out for each other at the airport in our blue "Gallipoli Volunteer" polo shirts as we head off to Turkey next week.