Anzac Day....Lest We Forget

Anzac Day - a day of remembrance for all our fallen soldiers since WWI.

Australians and New Zealanders know what this means, but for those who don't, or want to remember what Anzac Day is all about, I want to send you to a post made by fellow Wench, Vonnie Hughes, about What is an Anzac?

And to read the poem, The Fallen, visit, RWAus' blog mistress, Imelda Evans' post here.


Lest We Forget.

~yia~

Lest We Forget

Last night, I was at the State Library for my studies, and when I came back onto the street, there was a gathering over at the SA War Memorial. It was an Anzac Day service but there was youth there so I thought it may have been a special service done by the youth of SA. And I was right. I just checked - apparently it was a Youth Vigil. Go the youth!

While I've never made it to an Anzac Day service, I do think of the ANZACS and all the soldiers who have given their lives to make Australia safe. I may have mentioned this before but when I travelled to Italy back in 2000, as part of my tour, we visited a Commonwealth cemetery. It was one of the most humbling and sobering experiences - seeing all those identical graves of young men who had died so far from home to protect their country.

Lest We Forget!

Remembering Anzac Day

It's the 25th April, a date embedded into the Australian and New Zealand consciousness. A day of remembering the lives lost at Gallipoli, and in turn, in every battle since then.

I haven't visited Anzac Cove, but when in Italy, we visited a Commonwealth cemetery of soldiers who had fallen in the Second World War. It was a humbling and emotional experience seeing all the white headstones, all the young lives cut short.

Thank you to all those who gave their lives in service to their country. Lest We Forget.

~yia~

Going to Sun, Surf and Sizzle conference

Well it's official, I'm going to the Sun, Surf and Sizzle Conference - the Romance Writers of Australia conference - in August. Woohoo!!


I can't tell you how excited I am about this!! And lucky as well. A combination of sharing accommodation at Club Booty (- as in Bootcampers people!) and assistance from RWAus has made this possible. So thank you! 

The greatest thing about the conference is meeting with like-minded people and talking shop - as much as non-writing people try and understand, they don't get 'it'. Maybe if I say to those folks that it's like talking about your favourite subject in the world - be it cars, music, shoes even - writing is that and more. Because there is so much emotion involved in it. 


So there is going to be three days of shop talk. There is a lot on offer for me as a fantasy writer who has romantic elements in their work. And it is there I'll collect my copies of Little Gems with my winning entry as the cover. Talk about being over the moon. 




Another conference that I'm hoping against hope that I will be able to go to is WorldCon being held in Australia this year, hence the title of it is AussieCon 4. It is THE conference for science fiction and fantasy in the world. I'm waiting on funding on that - fingers crossed. 


I learned last year via attending Hot August Nights and conducting Eleni-fest, how important conferences and relationships forged there are to writers. It can be a lonely road, and while the internet has helped lessen that loneliness, there's nothing like a face-to-face conference. It definitely gave me a boost last year. And as I struggle along the road to publication, these conferences definitely help me grow as a writer. As Socrates said, we are always students. I like that. 




And today here in Australia and New Zealand (it is the 25th here in SA), it's Anzac Day. Please spare a moment to think of those who gave their lives fighting for this country. Lest We Forget!

~yia~