Fantastic report,
I have added my 2 bobs worth below and I believe Ron will add his words and pics.
ANZAC DAY 25th April 2011-04-25This time around I gave my respects in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
For the past 10 years I have visited many dawn services in some obscure parts of Asia where Australians have served. It is not what it seems from a personal point of view, I had no previous interest in Australian history or relatives and friends that had served, until the Vietnam War.
In fact I come from a totally different background, but tied through history because of the old British Empire.
My family and I were 10 pound Poms, immigrating to Oz in 1956. For reasons unknown to me we ended up in Oz.
As a 6 year old, the adventure was just beginning, clear skies, beautiful beaches and a great climate. My brother and I excelled in sport, school and the world was grand until 1968 when I had to put my name down for conscription, at 19 the lottery determined the rest of my life.
If your birthday date came up in the monthly lottery you were off to Vietnam. I was a fanatical surfer at the time and when the surf was up, you expected to see the usual hotdoggers on the line up.
All of a sudden Jacko was missing, then Johno, they had been called up and gone to Vietnam.
This period in history changed my perspective on ANZAC Day; it is to give respect to mates who didn’t have the opportunities that I had, and the protection of my kids and grandkids.
That is why I go to the ANZAC services, so my kids and grandkids do not have to go to war.
They live in one of the most free, unpolluted and easy going countries in the world. They can leave their back doors open, their cars open and the kids can play in the parks without supervision.
Lest we forget.The ride down to Kanchanaburi 23rd April 2011
I just had old Doris (my 10year old BMW Dakar) serviced 80,000km and her 2nd trip to Asia.
New tyres, brakes, wheel bearings and the BMW service, it was raining at 6.30AM so it was a late start at 8.30AM. I set the GPS on the shortest route, just to see where it would take me.
I have done this before so I was aware of the crazy reconfigurations that the GPS computer can do.
It will recompute the smallest and craziest detour to cut corners on the highway that you can ride 120km/hr and send you down dirt roads at 20km/hr just to save on distance. I went through rice paddies, sugar cane paddocks and through small villages as the GPS constantly recomputed the route. Great fun, until the rain started, luckily old Doris had dirt tyres on. Just over 8 hours and 730km later I arrived in Kanchanaburi and a bit wet.
As I had a day to recuperate, I contacted Ron two wheels and we explored the town. I had been to Kanchanaburi on numerous occasions, this time was different, and Ron was interested in the total story of the Australian prisoners of war and the hardships under their Japanese captors. It opened up a totally different side of human brutality that only a close analysis of the building of the railroad can give.
Patriotism is one thing, when you get a couple of hundred Aussies in a small town on the piss, the whole place is given a different perspective, backpackers and tourists couldn’t understand the hundreds of Aussie and boxing Kangaroo flags adorning bars, motorbikes and cars.
I needed a day to get the old body in order and check old Doris out, other than a chain adjustment and some chain oil; she was as good as gold, it took me a little longer.
I left my guest house at 7.00am on the 27th April and set my GPS to the fastest route to Chiang Mai.
An uneventful ride up the main highway seen me arrive home in 7 and half hours and 710km.
Another well celebrated ANZAC DAY was held, unfortunately no two up.
Remember we were only 19.