2015 ANZAC Day in The Hague

The rain didn’t dampen the strong ANZAC Sprit at the commemoration held in The Hague on 25th April 2015.  A large crowd donned rain jackets and hoisted umbrellas high, or simply ignored the raindrops.  The brief hardship was of course nothing compared to what so many have sacrificed for our countries.

This is the first time that my daughters have attended the ceremony here in The Hague, pictured here with their lovely Australian umbrella from their grandmother on the Sunshine Coast (knowing they need to deal with a lot of rain living here!)

Aged 5 & 7, they don’t really understand the significance, but it’s an important part of our history and culture, which I’m glad they are still able to take part in here in The Hague.

My eldest has saw her grandfather (my father) march in Brisbane though in 2008!  Both my parents served in the Australian Navy before I was born.

Here’s one photo of her then, less than a year old, after we had recently relocated from the Netherlands to Brisbane (and then we moved back to the Netherlands in 2012):

And her sister is pictured below at around the same age, two years later in 2010, again at the Brisbane ANZAC Day parade.

But back to The Hague in 2015 – “The Last Post” is always incredibly moving:

A number or organisations place a wreath, here is the one from the Australian & NZ Club:

After the ceremony, we were treated to a hot breakfast…with scrambled eggs and “real bacon”!  (the type we are used to in Australia is difficult to find in the Netherlands).

It was a lovely opportunity to talk to other Australians and New Zealanders living in the Netherlands, and I’m grateful to the Embassies for hosting this commemoration each year.

Renee