Commander Cozens gives Anzac service speech

April 27th, 2013

Motueka-based Commander Peter Cozens gave the address at the Anzac Day remembrance dawn service at the Motueka War Memorial, and for those not able to make it, here is the text of his speech to read and ponder.

"The 25th April or ANZAC Day is a special time for all of us to reflect about events of the past that continue to influence our lives today and if we are wise, be instructive for the future.

"Where did it start?, he asked, then answered: The amphibious assault by Australian and New Zealand troops on the peninsula of Gallipoli in the early morning of 25th April 1915 against a determined and gallant Turkish foe in a campaign that lasted until the following December was the genesis of ANZAC.

"It is a word that continues to inspire the peoples of New Zealand and Australia. It is a precious treasure or taonga for us."

Developing ideas around the tragedy of the war, Commander Cozens then dug into some of the causes.

"This awful history raises the question of who was to blame for starting the war in the first place - some answers can now be found in contemporary historical studies where scholars find fault with the incompetent political leadership at the very top of all of the prominent European states as well as in Russia and the Ottoman Empires in the years leading up to 1914.

These great shortcomings of statesmanship were compounded by the unimaginable military incompetence and ineptitude of so many high ranking military and naval leaders.

Regrettably the Peace Treaty of Versailles in 1919 did not provide terms in which the peoples of Europe could put the ravages of war behind them and start again.

The spiteful nature of the arrangement, especially reparations, is often cited as the reason for the rise of National Socialism and the hijacking of the German state by the Nazis leading to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Read the full text of the speech here »

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