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The statue of an Aussie digger at the western end of the Anzac Bridge was today joined by that of a Kiwi comrade.
The statue, the work of New Zealand-Australian dual citizen Alan Somerville, highlights the folly of the Kiwi soldiers’ “lemon-squeezer” slouch hats. On the statue’s hat is inscribed the words “lest we forget”.
The Great War (1914-1918) saw thousands of brave young New Zealanders march off to war and ridicule�some never to return, others never to wear any sort of hat again. Thus was born the Anzac tradition, of highlighting each year the significant design differences between Australian and New Zealand hat design at that point in history.
As a bonus, on Canada Day (1 July) each year, the sculpture can be festooned in red and white and used to honour the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
There were last-minute jitters in the Premier’s office about whether this good-news story could be converted into a much-needed public relations disaster. Luckily, someone had the idea to ban the public from the unveiling, and a fresh negative story about the New South Wales government was generated without a hitch.
As is Anzac tradition, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark stood by Mr Iemma as he took fire from the media over the decision. Other key instances of disrespect towards the Anzac tradition include the 2001 “Best & Lest We Forget Sale” (25 per cent off the marked price on women’s and children’s apparel); a 2008 Daily Grind story making fun of their hats; and the 1915 Gallipoli landings.
