Day 62
Anzac Day 2017
This was my first Anzac day in
Australia and I was determined to experience as much as I could of it so I was
up at 4.00 as was Justin and we drove to Dee Why for the Dawn Service to be held along the Beach Front as night turned into day.
We arrived at around 5.00 and I
was amazed at the number of people that were there already. We managed to park in the Lagoon car park and
crossed over to the beach. The restaurants
were already open serving coffees to the hordes of people descending on the
town and then we took our place in front of one of the large screens erected
for the service.
The service was opened by
marching bagpipes and started promptly at 5.30.
There were readings given, hymns sung, wreaths laid and all in all it
was very touching. It lasted over an
hour but that was not too long and the sunrise as a backdrop seemed very
fitting.
When the service was over we went
back home for breakfast and got ready for the second part of the day. Twos Up
at the Kirri Billi club in Sydney.
Justin and I got there at 12.00 and
had a lunch of chips and beer while waiting for the others and for the main
event to start
Twos-up is a traditional
Australian gambling game, involving a designated "spinner" normally
throwing two coins or pennies into the air. Players bet on whether the coins
will fall with both heads (obverse) up, both tails (reverse) up, or with one
coin a head and one a tail (known as "odds"). It is traditionally
played on Anzac Day in pubs and clubs throughout Australia, in part to mark a
shared experience with Diggers through the ages. In this case, it was played with three coins
so there was always a head or tails winner so bets were place between players
as to whether heads or tails would win.
The game is traditionally played
with pennies – their weight, size, and surface design make them ideal for the
game. Weight and size make them stable on the "kip" and easy to spin
in the air. Decimal coins are generally considered to be too small and light
and they don't fly so well. The design of pre-1939 pennies had the sovereign's
head on the obverse (front) and the reverse was totally covered in writing
making the result very easy and quick to see. Pennies can often be observed
being used at games on Anzac Day, as they are brought out specifically for this
purpose each year. Anzac Day is the only day of the year that this form of gambling is allowed to take place over a restricted 3-hour period.
After a most enjoyable afternoon I ended the session about $100 up.
We then met up in the restaurant
with Jill. Keith. Adam and Nick with little Arlo and we all had a meal before
taking the train back home after a very full and tiring day.
