I was disappointed to see that the Federal Government chose to allocate all aspects of a religious nature at the Gallipoli and Lone Pine ANZAC Day service to a single denomination – being the Roman Catholic Church.
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I make point this without any desire to create antipathy. Even though I am an Anglican, my own family connection to the First Light Horse and to Gallipoli is through a Roman Catholic, Lt. Col. The Hon. John Brady Nash, M.L.C. whose parents had emigrated to Australia from Ireland.
Our family leant many years ago the need to understand another point of view, the need to include everyone, no matter what their religion or nationality, around the same table. Was it not possible to include other denominations, even other religions, in the ANZAC Day services?
This action by the Federal Government would appear to be yet another demonstration of its desire to govern for sectional interests rather than for the whole community. It would appear to be also a somewhat curious, even discourteous, decision, when one considers that both events took place in the presence of the Prince of Wales, representing the head of the Church of England, Her Majesty the Queen.
‘Blackburn’
