The ANZAC narrative: helping or hindering our contemporary Australian veterans?

The Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was formed under the banner of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the First World War. In an age of empire, this singular campaign, through defeat and huge losses, bore an Australian national identity and entrenched an enduring Australian legacy. 100 years later, from the end of the First World War, Australia continues to commemorate this battle, every 25th April, nationwide, with public support not dwindling, but increasing. The battles from Gallipoli, and its legacies – such as courage and mateship, are taught to the youngest and newest of Australian’s, and continued by generations before, and after, them. Australia’s own Australian Defence Force carries this narrative as traditional bearers and custodians of ANZAC. Yet upon closer inspection, how much of this narrative rings true for Australia’s current and contemporary veterans? My current research, through qualitative one on one interviewing, is showing an emerging and growing disconnect between the Australian ANZAC identity, and of the Australian contemporary veteran multi-faceted identity/ies. Motivated by ‘post-truth’ and future discourses, I, as researcher, and as a contemporary veteran, have begun to question the sustainability of an enduring narrative: is the story of ANZAC helping or hindering the emerging post-warrior discourse of Australia’s modern-day veterans?