Saturday, April 26, 2008

ANZAC Day

Really enjoyed watching some of the documentaries on television on ANZAC day. It really makes you think about what people went through in their lives, so that we can have nice easy ones.
This particular documentary was about Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop, who did some amazing things during the second world war, but also thereafter. You imagine people such as him to be people from 'ordinary' backgrounds doing extraordinary things. This man won many awards whilst studying medicine, was a champion boxer, played for the national rubgy team, The Wallabies.
Before joining the army, and doing the amazing things he did, this man had already done more than most people would achieve in their lives.

The man chose to stay in Java, Indonesia, and became a prisoner of war, because he didn't want to leave his patients. He used his position as a doctor as well as being an officer to get the Japanese keeping them prisoner to agree to things, or prevent them from killing the prisoners, as was the case with Bill Griffiths.
Sir Edward kept alive a lot of his colleagues who were literally overworked and underfed, and often beaten by the Japanese keeping them prisoner, for relatively minor things. The man himself appeared to have suffered a few beatings during his time in the prisoner of war camp, for standing up for his friends.

This man put himself in danger so many times to take part in smuggling in medical supplies to keep his friends well.

Absolutely amazing to watch what the man went through, and the conditions that he and his friends went through, so that they could serve out their time during the war as prisoners.

Makes you realise how lucky you are as a free individual, and how things like work worries are really nothing much at all, and pale in comparison.