Anzac Day looms

Lunched with friends at the Soldiers Club today, and from our table spotted this field gun, a World War II 25-pounder, standing outside alongside the War Memorial. It was a reminder that Anzac Day, Australia's most important national occasion, is on Thursday. It marks the anniversary of the Gallipoli landing on April 25, 1915 - the first big military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces in World War I. Each year, in almost every town in the country, thousands of people line the streets to watch veterans from all major conflicts or their descendants march in remembrance of the fallen.