Anzac Day

This past Saturday was Anzac Day, which is very similar to Memorial Day back in the states. It recognizes the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who sacrified their lives in Gallipoli (Turkey) during WWI. Events include a service at dawn on the beach (complete with the firing of cannons) and a parade with soldiers (past and present) and bagpipes. But, in true Aussie tradition, every type of holiday gets turned into a party. We fully immersed ourselves in Anzac Day with our American friends the Nagles (who we met through work at CSIRO and actually live in the same building as us). After a long day at Cricketers Arms Hotel, we satisfied our appetite with a traditional Aussie Meat Pie.

Just a couple of things to add:

1. We spent the day at the Cricketers Arms Hotel, home of the largest Two-Up ring in Newcastle, but this goes on at every pub in the city on Anzac Day.

2. Anyone who has served in the armed forces, past and present, are dressed to the nines in uniform. And they were all definitely the most intoxicated people in the pub everywhere we went.

3. We arrived at the pub at 11; by 11:30 it was absolutely packed. In an effort to discourage shenanigans, all pubs in the city closed by 7 or 8.

4. Side bets made up the largest portion of the betting, but betting also takes place inside the ring. In order to be one of the spinners (which is considered a great honor), you have to pony up at least $20 (the max is $50). The spinner has to throw 3 consecutive heads in order to win. But before each spin, someone from the crowd has to match the money in the pot. If the spinner throws 3 straight heads, they get the pot minus their original stake (which goes to charity). If the spinner throws tails, the person who ponied up the cash gets all the pot minus $5 (charity contribution). It's kind of like dice, and the stakes get pretty high quickly.

5. By the middle of the afternoon, the crowd was so large that people were betting and couldn't even see the outcome of what was going on.