Stephanie Worsop: Anzac sacrifices feel more real than ever before

Anzac Day in Rotorua last year. Photo / Ben Fraser

COMMENT

For the first time in history, Kiwis were not able to stand side by side to commemorate Anzac Day and the sacrifices made by men and women during wartime.

Instead, families were encouraged to put poppies in their windows and stand at their driveways, physically isolated but mentally united, paying their respect to those who gave us freedom.

As a country, Anzac Day is our most patriotic holiday so it was painful not being able to observe it with the joint reverence we usually do.

However, this year's commemorations, as we face a difficult and uncertain time, will highlight more frankly the unimaginable horrors our forebears endured and how that must have felt.

The restrictions, isolation and anxiety we have experienced as a result of Covid-19; the uncertainty of when this will end, if life will ever be the same again, are a drop in the ocean when you consider the terrors, heartbreaks and fears of wartime.

While New Zealand has thankfully had low numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths compared with other countries, this period of time will undoubtedly go down in history as among the hardest modern society has faced.

But on this day, it is clearer than ever that past generations have survived worse and we too will make it through this.

Our grandparents and great-grandparents are testament to the strength and resilience our communities have when fighting for a common cause.

It is bolstering to look back at how our relatives adapted, made use of what they had and rebuilt their lives from the devastation of war.

They too had to prepare for an unknown future and when times were most bleak, there was still hope that in time, life would get better.

During World War I and World War II, we sent our men off to kill or be killed by foreign enemies. War was brutal and the toll on every aspect of society was immeasurable.

This is why we remember them and their sacrifices.

Today, we are just as united against our common enemy; an invisible enemy that has invaded our homelands but instead of sending loved ones to the battlefields, we are being told to stay home and wash our hands and help save lives.

I do not wish to diminish the tough times people are experiencing now, but it is worthwhile, today of all days, to put into perspective what others have sacrificed before us.

The lessons we can take from our wartime relatives will help us move forward and thrive post-Covid-19.

The brave men and women we remember today not only gave us freedom but they have shown us how to follow in their footsteps and rise from the ashes, stronger than ever before.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website