On the dawn of the 25th April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand forces entered the frontline battle for its allies against the enemy of the 1st World War – and the ANZAC spirit was born.
Death was confronted on a scale never-before seen. Many, many young men – our grandfathers and great grandfathers – displayed immense courage and sacrificed their own lives so that we, their descendants, could enjoy the lifestyle we enjoy today.
Australia is quite often referred to as the lucky country. One of the reasons we are so “lucky” is we have a level of freedom enjoyed by very few other countries in the world.
On this ANZAC day 2021 we wish to thank those who have fought for this freedom in every war since 1915. We thank them for the sacrifice they made and the courage they showed.
Alec Campbell was the last surviving soldier of the Gallipoli campaign and is known as Australia’s last ANZAC. He joined the Australian Army at 16 years of age, having told the recruiting office he was 18. He recalls he didn’t “look for reasons why” he enlisted. “You just did it. Most young fellas were going”. He recalls he was not fully aware of just how dangerous service overseas would be. However, at Gallipoli “you were aware that you could be killed at any time, but you couldn’t do anything about it”.
Harold Clive Newman was hit with a ricocheted bullet, yet continued to hold his place in the line. “All I had was a bullet in the back of the right shoulder” which was extracted with a local anaesthetic and patched up. “I never left the line. I stayed there”.
Alec and Harold, even though you are no longer with us, your example of courage in the most extreme conditions is an example to us today. We acknowledge the freedoms we do enjoy come from your sacrifice and the sacrifice of hundreds and thousands of young “immature” and maybe naïve men like yourself. Thank you.
In my post last week I spoke about how not everyone can be a business owner. At the core of it, the reason I don’t believe just anyone can be a business owner is because most aren’t willing to make the many sacrifices we have to make along the way to grow a successful business.
Whilst business owners are not asked to give their life in exchange for their business success, in practice, business owners sacrifice a great deal. Many business owners sacrifice paying themselves what they are worth, often earning an hourly-rate equivalent lower than their most junior employee. Many sacrifice time with their partners and children; most will sacrifice sleep – all to keep their businesses going and in the hope of creating a better life in the future.
Whilst we may not be facing death with every step we take, being a business owner takes immense courage.
As a business owner we deserve every bit of recognition we can get for these sacrifices and courage. It is not for a faint hearted.
Today on this ANZAC day, Kaibizzen also honours you – business owners.
We thank you all for the service you are providing to your marketplace, your team and most importantly yourself and your family. Thank you for your courage and sacrifice.
We are here to help you step up and be the leader your business, your team, and your family need you to be. To know more about how we can support you, reach out. We’d love to help you reap the rewards of years of effort for you and your family.
What does it take to actually remove yourself from the day-to-day grind of business? Learn from our panel of Business Owners who've Been There, Done That.
