ANZAC or Anzac?

[Dianaa]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

It all depends Mike - ....

... My sincerest apologies to any New Zealanders who may feel slighted by the lower case NZ, but one of the things the Anzacs fought and died for was the English language, so I feel some obligation to uphold it as they have done for the past century. This is one word in the English language that belongs to them, and I am not at liberty to tamper with it, even in the interests of trans-Tasman relations. If we have some gripe across the ditch then let's address it constructively, without engaging in semantics over the word given to us to symbolize this brotherhood by those who forged it the first place. It was good enough for them for a century so how can it not be good enough for us?

One of my favourate stories about Ozzies forgetting about the Kiwis in ANZAC, was during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Bob Carr the then NSW State Premier was escorting the NZ Prime Minister, Helen Clark, out to Sydney Olympic Park via the Western Distributor. When crossing the recently re-named concrete suspension bridge beside Blackwattle Bay, Bob proudly informed the PM the bridge was called the ANZAC Bridge. Helen Clark then countered that she could see the Australian National Flag and the NSW State Ensign flying atop the pilons, but could not see the NZ National Flag and surely that flag should be flying atop any bridge named Anzac. The next day PM Clark presented Premier Carr with a NZ National flag.

The New Zealand flag has flown atop one of the pilons with the Aussie on the other to this day.

Another corollary to the story is that a bronze statue of a Digger had been erected at the Western approach to the bridge. Subsequently the same sculptor Alan Somerville (a Kiwi) was commissioned to make another bronze statue this time of a Kiwi Anzac. Both statues now face each other across the water, the Kiwi was made a little taller by the sculptor to honour his birthplace.



http://www.groveoz.info/flags.htm