I decided to take the train down to the city because driving in the city is horrendous. Parking in the city was even worst. You will encounter a new surprise everyday. There may be a road block today, and road construction tomorrow. You will never know what tomorrow will bring. Hence, to avoid nasty surprises, I decided to take the train. It was so expensive! The ticket price has increased =( I spent almost $10 on transport alone (ok, lunch was provided, but still). On my way home from the parade, a St John cadet's mum mentioned that public transport was FREE for all those participating in the parade. Wasted my $10!! No wonder the transit officer just walked past me and not bothered checking my ticket. I assumed he just trusted me because I was in uniform.
Anyway, when I arrived at the command post for debrief, I discovered, to my utter horror, that i was one of two nurses selected to be IN THE PARADE. I thought I would just be sitting at the ambulance waiting for someone to collapse and then render first-aid. I was not informed in advance that I'd be in the parade!!!
Bryan and I were the "chosen" ones. I was not prepared. Do I wave like the Queen? I did not have time to even ask or clarify with the area manager. I was just given 3 bags - the medication bag, oxygen bag, and defib bag - and told to hop on the ambulance which would drive us down to the jeeps. When in the ambulance, it certainly felt like we were gearing up for war. We were all wired up with walky-talkies, ear phones, and speaking in secret code =) I was super damn nervous!
There were like 10 jeeps, 1 vintage fire truck, and 1 vintage army truck. Bryan sat in the first jeep, and I sat in the last jeep with Gavin (the driver), and a very chatty veteran (forgot his name). When the parade finally kicked off at about 9.30am, we just sat in the jeeps and waited for our turn. The bands played, bag pipes blasted, and horses rode passed. It was almost 9.45 when it was our turn to go through the parade. I was a nervous wreck! I just sat at the back of the jeep, frozen, with no clue if I should wave back (after all, they're not waving to me! I even ignored the mayor of Perth when the jeep drove passed - that was how nervous I was!). The crowd were cheering and waving, some even cried and held up "Thank you" signs to the veterans. It was SO EMOTIONAL. I felt like crying too. It's strange how you never get to see how emotional it gets, unless you're in the eyes of the veterans. When the jeep was driving along Riverside Dr, this woman appluaded so loudly that she caught my attention. Her face was so red and she was crying so much. I'm sure I shed a tear or two that day.
Veterans fought in the war to defend and protect Australia. Some died as young as the age of 16. They lied about their age so that they could fight in the war for Australia. It was heart-wrenching having to hear this story repeated to you again, and again. When you compare 16 year-old Aussie teens now, seeing how they'd waste their life on drugs, you will really feel like sending them to war to experience what it was like being a 16 year-old during wartime.
Many people from the crowd came to our jeep to take pictures - I felt like a celebrity, hehe =).
Took a few pictures that day-
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| I was in the 28th Battalion jeep - that's me with the chatty veteran whose name I forgot. You can see the vintage army truck on the right. This is at the end of the parade, where the jeeps are just parked at the Supreme Court Gardens waiting for the memorial service. |
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| I can't remember her name too - I think it's Anne. She is 99 years old, and was an army nurse who served in the war too. She is now Australia's oldest ex-nurse. |
HAPPY ANZAC DAY!
(Lest we forget)
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