Tuesday 26 April 2011

'Stand in the sun shoulder to shoulder with our return men,' Tricia says

Tricia Trail got stirred up at yesterday's ANZAC service on the Cairns Esplanade. Her husband was in the Navy for 20 years and served in Vietnam and Borneo.

The VIPs who were seated and under cover on Anzac Day seem to have forgotten that the returned servicemen have just marched a considerable distance.

"While you each take your turn with your speeches, they are standing in the sun," Tricia Traill said. "The Mayor's speech was far to long, you could see the older diggers fading. You seem to forget that this is their day."

Tricia noted an older gentleman with so many medals he was weighed down.

"Take me home," he said to his daughter after the service. "Aren't you going to the RSL to see your mates?" she asked. "I'm too tired, it's too hot, I need to sit down."

"This statement from this wonderful old man that had served his country so well brought tears to my eyes," Tricia told CairnsBlog.

She asks the RSL and the Cairns Regional Council to either provide the same conditions that they feel the officials are entitled.

"Or they should stand in the sun, shoulder to shoulder with our return men. I am sure their speeches would then be considerable shorter next year," Tricia says. "However I feel that old digger might might not return again."

2 comments:

MG said...

this shows again the incompetence and self interest of the mayor and official organisers not to consider the health and wellbeing of the service men

its not rocket science but still some idiot organised this and I say that poor man's day with friends was ruined due to a lack of foresight and intelligence in planning.........

Al said...

Don't make a big deal of this, it is simply thoughtlessness, something we are all capable of. Tricia Traill has made a good observation which I'm sure all right thinking individuals will agree with. Just let it be right for next time.