Thousands from Australia and New Zealand take part in dawn ceremony at Canakkale

Thousands of people from Australia and New Zealand gathered in northwestern Turkey yesterday to pay their respects to their forefathers who lost their lives in the battlefields of Canakkale. As dawn broke at 5:30 a.m., when the Anzacs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula 96 years ago, they sang hymns and sent their prayers to their loved ones. Australian Cabinet Member for Veterans' Affairs Warren Snowdon told the ceremony that the bloody, unwinnable war was a defining moment in their efforts to create a national identity. He added that the war also laid the foundations for friendly ties among the peoples of Turkey, New Zealand, and his country.