Lest We Forget – Rosemary for Remembrance, Two-Up for Tradition

Tomorrow, April 25, is ANZAC Day in Australia. For Australia and New Zealand, it is like Remembrance Day in the UK and Veterans Day in the US. It is a day when those who gave their lives in the Gallipoli campaign are remembered.

For many, the feeling is gone. It’s just another day off work, a long weekend after Easter.

For others, the tradition lives on. It’s a day to honor distant relatives who fought in the wars. They attend dawn vigils and services nationwide.

More than 50,000 Australians served in the Gallipoli Campaign, and more than 8,700 of them lost their lives. After Gallipoli, many original Anzacs fought in Europe on the Western Front. Some also served in World War II.

Many Australians wear rosemary sprigs on Anzac Day to commemorate those who served. As I discovered, the association of rosemary with ANZAC Day is steeped in history.

I am having trouble growing rosemary where I live. Some say it is because it gets ‘wet feet (roots),' which it does not like. Given our poor rainfall this year, it should be thriving.

Rosemary – A History of Symbolism

There is something intoxicating about the aroma and taste of rosemary. It’s delightful to run your fingers over a rosemary sprig or savor lamb roasted with rosemary. It also makes a great syrup to have with tonic water or, for the more spirited, with gin and tonic.

According to legend, the delicate blue flowers of rosemary were the result of the Virgin Mary. She rested and spread her cloak over the white flowers of the rosemary bush, turning them blue. From then on, the bush was referred to as the “Rose of Mary.”

The Greeks believed that rosemary improved one’s memory. Greek students supposedly wore rosemary during exams.

Romans burned rosemary or placed it in the tombs of the departed to honor them.

William Shakespeare mentions rosemary in Hamlet. Ophelia says, "There's rosemary; that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember."

Lest we forget.

Rosemary bushes grow wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Their symbolism connects well with ANZAC Day. They are a symbol to help remember and honor those who fought and died at Gallipoli.

The dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula must be quite a spectacle. The lone bugler stands in reverence as the sun rises. The scent of woody rosemary fills the air over these hallowed battlefields.

Legend has it that rosemary grows profusely in this area because of the bodies buried in the soil.

Wearing rosemary on ANZAC Day honors the past. It helps us remember those who served and died in all wars, not just Gallipoli.

Two-up for Tradition

In the land Down Under, there is a game that is part of our limited cultural history called “Two-up.” It is like flipping a coin, but with a twist: there are two coins. Perhaps you have heard the term “come in, spinner"?

Two-up is a classic Australian game. It’s played on Anzac Day in pubs and RSL clubs across the country. This game honors the shared experiences of diggers, our Australian soldiers. The coins must fly three meters into the air, not touch the roof, and fall within a ring on the ground. Two heads mean the spinner wins. Two tails, the spinner loses their bet and the right to spin. Odds mean the spinner throws again.

The game became popular in the 18th century. It was especially liked by poor English and Irish people. By the 1850s, it was being played on the goldfields of Kalgoorlie and Broken Hill.

In World War I, Australian soldiers played two-up in trenches and on troop ships. The game was played to celebrate the soldiers' return. So, two-up is closely linked to Anzac Day.

Two-up can only be played legally on specific days each year. This is because it is seen as unregulated gambling. You can only play Two-up on specific days in New South Wales: Anzac Day, Pacific Day (August 15), and Remembrance Day. You must also wait until after 12 p.m. However, Broken Hill has a special license from the NSW government. This means you can play Two-up there all year long.

After researching and writing this story, my rosemary bushes now mean more to me. They have always been special, but now they have a special significance that I was unaware of. It has also inspired me to make sure I get the damn things to grow. From now on, they will get an extra bit of TLC.

Till next time,

Calvin