They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
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Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
English poet and writer Laurence Binyon penned the Ode just over 100 years ago and its words will resonate in communities around Australia today as we commemorate the sacrifices of our service men and women.
The Ode is an important part of the Anzac Day service, and brings the truth of war home – “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them”.
And the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services the appropriate place for the Ode to be recited.
On Friday morning I was watching television when a promo came up for a footy game – and the voiceover from one of the commentators screamed “Age shall not weary them”.
Not only is this inappropriate, to me it’s offensive.
No doubt the promo has been put together by some guy with a ponytail from the Channel 9 promotions department, thinking that the audio clip captured exactly what they were looking for to promote the Anzac Day clash, but to me it’s insensitive and ill-considered – and someone, anyone, should have pulled the pin on it. For goodness sake, it’s JUST A GAME.
There’s not a person who enjoys football more than me – can watch it from Friday night to Sunday night, absorb the stats and keep a keen eye on the opposition teams.
But I am becoming increasingly frustrated by commentators who liken these games to “battles” and where they talk of “heroes”.
Such descriptions are poor at any time – but on Anzac Day they are worse. And dare I say it, some commentators seem to revel in the idea of using every cliche they can find to somehow link sport to war.
Caught up in the heat of the "call”, you can give them a little slack – but to deliberately pluck such emotive and evocative words and then use them to shamelessly promote a game of football is a step too far.
Let’s focus our attention not on the sporting fields, but on those who have served our nation. Enjoy the footy, but remember what this day is all about.
Paul McLoughlin
