With coronavirus vaccinations now underway, Australia and the rest of the world are opening up.
On the weekend, some 5000 Mardi Gras participants were watched by a crowd six times that size at the SCG.
In Melbourne, thousands of sports-starved fans are turning up for women’s AFL matches.
And in the US, multiple states that have suffered far graver COVID losses than Australia are declaring themselves open and mask-free.
Yet one crucial Australian sector is denied any similar liberation. This year’s Anzac Day will be almost as restrictive as was Anzac Day in 2020.
“In Sydney this year it is limited to 500 marchers only, with no bands, no association banners and limited spectators,” points out Vietnam veteran and Daily Telegraph reader Henry Chisholm.
“To be eligible to march you have to win a place in a ballot allocated by NSW RSL.
“I believe the state government has dictated to the NSW RSL to only allow such a small number of veterans to march.”
Anzac Day in Queensland, 2020
A ballot seems an undignified way to select marchers on Australia’s most solemn day of national commemoration.
And why, for an open-air event, would the total be limited to such a tiny number?
Is Anzac Day just one-tenth as important to NSW as the Mardi Gras? It appears so, judging by the permitted levels of participation.
Last year’s Anzac Day commemoration featured deeply moving driveway and doorstep displays of admiration for our servicemen and women.
That admiration was expressed during the pandemic’s early inroads. People took all due precautions, yet would not be stopped from showing their devotion.
But we now have vaccines. The virus is on the way out, and freedom should be on the rise.
As veteran Henry rightly notes: “The ex-service personnel who have served this country for over 100 years deserve better and must be recognised each and every year and that is to march each Anzac Day.
“A paltry 500 marchers which is less than an infantry battalion is a disgrace to the NSW government and the RSL.”
It is difficult to disagree with that view, especially from someone who has fought under our nation’s flag.
There is still plenty of time – and time for plenty of further vaccinations – before Anzac Day.
These ridiculous restrictions must be revised.



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