Final preparations for big Anzac Day at Gallipoli
WELLINGTON: About 1500 New Zealanders and Australians are expected to attend this year’s Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli in Turkey.
As with previous years, security will be very tight.
Those attending will need to go through airportstyle screening before being allowed on to the Anzac Cove commemorative site or at the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair and the Australian service at nearby Lone Pine.
The New Zealand Government’s lead for the commemorations at Gallipoli, John McLeod, said strong support was coming from the Turkish authorities who were responsible for security.
‘‘We work with them to meet their requirements. They have put a lot of resources into this and things are pretty much the same as they were last year.’’
Mr McLeod said everyone who came on to the Anzac commemorative site and on to Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair would be scanned by Xray machines, bags would be searched, and all liquids, aerosols and gels would be confiscated.
He said of the 1500 people registered to attend, about 500 were from New Zealand and the rest from Australia.
Mr McLeod said the demographic of those attending was a return to what was seen before the centenary commemorations in 2015.
‘‘The majority of visitors are in the 18 to 35 age group and twothirds female, which is a very interesting statistic and a consistent one.
‘‘It is looking extremely positive.’’
Thirtyone members of the New Zealand Defence Force will be present for the 104th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing in 1915.
This includes band members, a cultural group and a ceremonial party.
Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard will be the senior New Zealand representative at the Gallipoli services. He is being accompanied by some MPs.
Later today (NZ time), there will be a large Turkish service at Gallipoli commemorating the country’s 57th Regiment, the soldiers who held off the Anzac attack.
There will also be services by France, the United Kingdom and Ireland on the peninsula.
On Anzac Day, the dawn service will be held at Anzac Cove. It will be followed by the Australian service at Lone Pine and after that, the New Zealand Service at Chunuk Bair.
A large Turkish commemoration will take place at Chunuk Bair, including about 15,000 young people marching there, retracing the steps of Turkish soldiers defending their homeland against invasion.