| Our
tour is over and we are all safely back home. We can look back on
a wonderful week.
Thankyou for the
part you played in the arrangements. We acknowledge that there were
many difficulties to overcome and we thank you for helping to solve them
and make our trip as enjoyable as possible.
Aspects of our stay
in Naoetsu was very emotional which served to make us all the more appreciative
of the work you and the others are doing to forge and strengthen the ties
friendship between us all. It is difficult to commit to paper emotions
but the memory of our experiences will linger with us for a long, long
time.
It is ironic to think
that we arrived in Naoetsu this time to a blanket of snow similar to the
day that welcomed the 300 Australians in 1942. However on this occasion
it is the cold and snow that gave us an insight into the conditions and
hardships that must have affected your people as well as our own P.O.W.'s.
You need to be congratulated
on the continued development that will make the Peace Park a place to be
visited by all people. The museum is a great step forward to achieve
this and when completed will be a source of great inspiration to the visitor.
The inside of the museum is beautiful and I understand full credit is due
to you for this. Congratulations on a job well done.
(from her second
email)
Since returning
to Australia the opening of the museum has been constantly on my mind.
I wrote to the war Memorial in Canberra stating your request for items
pertaining to the Pacific War in the hope they may be able to provide some
items for the museum. Sadly, to date, I have had no reply.
I wrote to Mr Paterson telling him of the progress made in Naoetsu and
did receive a lovely letter of encouragement and praise from him, for all
concerned with the project. It was indeed uplifting to receive such
a letter. I have also written to the Minister of Veteran Affairs,
Mr. Scott, of the progress of the Park and the Museum. Unfortunately
he has been busy over in Gallipoli opening the new extended ANZAC Park.
Australia became
of nation only in 1901. When the Great War of 1914-18 began, young
men from Australia went to war as Australians for the very first time.
Previously the nation of Australia did not exist, our country was a group
of states each answerable to England. The brotherhood and mateship we hold
dear was forged at Gallipoli. Even though this was a defeat for the
Allied forces, Gallipoli is hailed as the place where Australians and New
Zealand troops formed an everlasting alliance. Hence the name ANZAC,
Australians and New Zealand Army Corps.
An ever increasing
number of Australians now visit Gallipoli as a pilgrimage especially on
Anzac Day. This year 12,000 Australians and New Zealanders, many
of them young backpackers attended the service at Gallipoli together with
the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, and Mr Scott. The Turks have now renamed
this area ANZAC Cove. The Turkish and Australian Prime Ministers
stood side by side on ANZAC Day to remember those soldiers on both sides
who fought and especially those who died, at Gallipoli and all wars since.
It would be wonderful
if Australians could have the same relationship with the Japanese people.
Image if thousands of Australians visited such Peace Parks as in Naoetsu,
where Japanese and Australian people could stand side by side not only
to remember the fallen but to realize the futility of war. Our peoples
could instead focus on true peace for the future
|
Rod
Yates
