Turks allowed to join Anzac march
The World Today - Wednesday, 12 April , 2006 12:41:40
Reporter: Daniel Hoare
ELEANOR HALL: This Anzac Day descendants of Turkish soldiers will for the first time be officially allowed to join in the march of veterans.
Turkish-Australians whose fathers and grandfathers fought at Gallipoli have been defying RSL policy by marching in the Melbourne parade since 1996.
But now they've been given official sanction from Victoria's RSL.
The Victorian President of the RSL cautions though, that the RSL is unlikely green light will ever extend to descendants of German, Japanese, Italian or North Vietnamese soldiers.
Daniel Hoare reports.
DANIEL HOARE: The ruling by the Victorian RSL applies only to descendants of World War I Turkish soldiers.
The Victorian RSL President, Major-General David McLachlan says the Turkish were a very honourable enemy.
DAVID MCLACHLAN: Well the Turkish veterans have marched in the Anzac Day march probably for 10 years now as part of the RSL Turkish sub-branch and that was put in place because of the special relationship between Australia and Turkey over the national icon that we call Gallipoli.
DANIEL HOARE: Victorian RSL President David McLachlan says it's unlikely the policy will ever extend to descendants of other nationalities, such as German or Japanese troops.
DAVID MCLACHLAN: There has never been the question of the Japanese or the Germans wishing to march. It's never been raised and if it were raised, it wouldn't be acceptable to the veteran community in any case.
But…
DANIEL HOARE: Why is it acceptable that the Turkish can march?
DAVID MCLACHLAN: Turkey really accepted the bodies of our Australians that remained in Turkey after the war in those famous words of Ataturk, that they are now our sons.
And I mean that was very soon at the conclusion of that period of time, and that relationship has been built up over the years that the Australians, and you talk to the First World War veterans that were at Gallipoli, always saw the Turkish soldier as he was as being an honourable enemy.
DANIEL HOARE: Do you ever foresee a day where Japanese, German, Italian soldiers might be marching in our parades.
DAVID MCLACHLAN: No.
The Italians march now. I mean the Italian Alpine troops marched on Anzac Day, and they're quite distinctive, but those that fought with the Axis forces we wouldn't see those being admitted to the march, nor indeed would I foresee in the near future or if ever perhaps, the Japanese.
But I think that we've gone on and we, certainly from the RSL's point of view, that we have tried to foster relationships between our country and Japan. We don't want to foist upon the present generations the sins of their fathers in that Second World War.
DANIEL HOARE: Ramazan Altintas is the President of the RSL Turkish sub-branch in Victoria.
He welcomes the decision to officially allow descendants of Turkish soldiers to march in the Anzac Day parade.
But he says the parade should be open to all Australian citizens whose relatives went to war, regardless of the country they fought for.
RAMAZAN ALTINTAS: If Australian citizen should be attending Anzac march, doesn't matter German, doesn't matter Japan, because as you know, when someone becomes an Australian citizen they swear that if anything happen, I am defence to Australia, (inaudible).
DANIEL HOARE: So once you're an Australian citizen, regardless of whether you are of German, Japanese or Turkish descent, you should be allowed to march?
RAMAZAN ALTINTAS: Of course.
ELEANOR HALL: Ramazan Altintas, the President of the Turkish sub-branch of Victoria's RSL speaking to Daniel Hoare.
