Marking ninety years since Gallipoli landings

MEDIA RELEASE

13 April 2005

Marking ninety years since Gallipoli landings

The 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings is being marked in Wellington with an event on Monday 18 April organised by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, at which the Prime Minister Helen Clark will launch a Gallipoli guidebook, an Anzac website and a Turkish documentary film.

“Anzac Day and the Gallipoli campaign are a part of our national psyche and these resources will bring a personal perspective to our commemorations at a time when there are no Gallipoli veterans left to tell their stories,” said Bronwyn Dalley, Chief Historian at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

“Ian McGibbon’s book, Gallipoli: A Guide to New Zealand Battlefields and Memorials, is a practical guide with clear, easy to follow directions to the New Zealand battlefields, cemeteries and memorials on the Gallipoli peninsular and is a must-have guide for Kiwi visitors to the sites — or anyone simply interested in these events in our history.”

“The website, www.anzac.govt.nz, offers a hands-on experience for armchair travelers who can not visit Gallipoli in person, with stunning, interactive panoramic images of the significant sites on the peninsula.”

“As well, the website has information on the significance of Anzac Day, how we commemorate it today and provides useful information and links for local authorities and groups who may be organising their own ceremonies.

“There is also fully searchable information about New Zealanders buried at Gallipoli, including their personal record from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and I’m sure family historians will find this feature very useful.”

“An added bonus for the event next Monday is the Australasian premier of Turkish director Tolga Örnek’s documentary film Gallipoli which includes excerpts from diaries, letters and photographs from soldiers who fought on both sides of the Gallipoli campaign.”

“The film features reconstructions, animations, and dramatic re-enactments, with narrations by Sam Neill and Jeremy Irons to bring to life the Gallipoli campaign, and includes the stories of three New Zealand soldiers.”

“The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is proud to have worked on these Anzac resources in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, providing as they do valuable information for New Zealanders for years to come,” said Bronwyn Dalley.

ENDS

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