Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
April 25th every year Australia stops to celebrate Anzac Day.
It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
The diggers landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders.
They were evacuated at the end of that year after eight months of stalemate, fierce fighting, and appalling loses.
Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed.
The legend of Anzac was born on the beaches of Gallipoli.
April 25th was officially named Anzac Day in 1916 as an occasion of national commemoration.
But did you realise that the word Anzac is copyright?
Originally, of course, it simply meant the “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps”.
But so deeply has this word entered into the consciousness of our nation that there are laws, passed way back in 1920, that control and protect its use.
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs administers the protection of the word Anzac, and the minister’s approval is needed for the use of the word in connection with any “trade, business, calling or profession, any entertainment, lottery or art union, any building, private residence, boat or vehicle, or any charitable or other institution”.
Even Anzac biscuits are protected by law.
Well, not so much the biscuits as the name of the biscuits.
And, by the way, Anzac is no longer an acronym – it is now officially a word: that means the “A” is upper case and the rest of the letters should be lower case.
As for the biscuits—they are made out of oatmeal, golden syrup and coconut; and are one of Australia’s national foods.
During World War I the wives, girlfriends and mums of the Australian soldiers used to make these biscuits to ship over to their blokes.
They were originally called Soldiers’ Biscuits, but after the landing on Gallipoli, they were given their present name.
In the recipe for Anzac biscuits from the Australian War Memorial there are no eggs.
Why? Because apparently in the war, most poultry farmers had joined up, so eggs were scarce. Golden syrup took the place of eggs as the binding agent in Anzac biscuits.
The latest issue of The Spectator Australia is in newsagents now. On the front cover is a cartoon of Russian leader Putin and China's leader Xi -- and in the back is my 'Language' column. And in this issue be sure to read Rowan Dean's editorial 'Lest We Forget' -- it's a little ripper.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER SCROLL FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE >>>>>>
BOOKS:
* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
* You can find all Kel's books currently in print here -- Booktopia Search Results for 'kel richards'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.
* And also here -- Amazon.com.au : Kel Richards
* And you'll find more here -- Search: 4 results found for "Kel Richards" – matthiasmedia.com.au
* Many of Kel's out of print books can be found at ABE Books -- Kel Richards - AbeBooks explaining words explain the term
BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.