Opinion: Are we forgetting the Anzacs?

Anzac Day NZ Defence Force
Are we more interested in a day off work than commemorating Anzac Day? (NZ Defence Force)

OPINION: Every year on April 25, we remember those who fought and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country during World War I.

But as we get older, are more and more of today's younger generations forgetting the reason and purpose behind Anzac Day?

I have spoken with many of my friends - in their early twenties - about their plans for Anzac Day and not one of them said they would attend a memorial service, buy a poppy or even think about it.

They've told me they will go to the beach if it is sunny, catch up on housework or sleep in.

Young Kiwis are increasingly worried about whether they have the day off or not - many also took Monday off work to get a four-day weekend.

One friend told me the war happened years ago and doesn't have any effect on the world today.

"I couldn't care less," "it doesn't mean anything to me," "it is just another holiday," - all phrases I have heard over and over again from young people who won't be remembering those who fought in the Great War, and all those since.

How could we not care about the horror, sacrifice and death of war?

Not even for one day, to make the effort to merely think about those who have given us the freedom we have today.

Is it possible that in the near future Anzac Day as we know it will become redundant?

Schools around the country place a strong emphasis on teaching about Anzac Day. At my old school it was a big deal - students wore poppies, laid wreaths for old boys who fought in the war, sang the national anthem and observed a minute's silence after the 'Last Post' rang out through the grounds.

It seems to me that today we are more interested in a day off work than the true meaning of being part of the Anzac history, and that's a terrible indictment on society.

Slowly, we are forgetting them.

Caley Callahan is a Newshub reporter based in Christchurch.