Gallipoli Rosemary - ANZAC Day Service
What do we know about Rosemary? The Rosemary by our cenotaph, our Rosemary, was planted in the earth in 1991, 26 years ago. Now I've got a piece of it right here. But where exactly did it come from?
It could be said, knowing what you will in a few minutes, that Australians take Rosemary for granted. How did this bush, home in dry soil swaying in the ocean breeze up on Mediterranean sea cliffs, become such an important symbol for Australians remembering our ANZACS? What's so special about Rosemary?
That wild shrub's journey from the shores of Gallipoli Peninsula to growing by our Cenotaphs and adorning our breast pockets was a long one and its meaning in use as a herb symbolising memory, remembrance, and sometimes mourning, is found all across history.
The earliest recorded symbolic use of Rosemary takes place in Egypt, where it was customary to lay fresh sprigs across a coffin or at a tombstone.
In Ancient Greece, wreaths of rosemary were worn upon the brow by scholars to improve their memory - in modern medicine, research is connecting Rosemary with Alzheimers’ prevention.
The Virgin Mary was said to have spread her blue cloak over a blossoming Rosemary shrub while resting, turning the white flowers blue – coining the name “Rose of Mary” – but the name is more likely to derive from the Latin phrase ros marinus, meaning dew of the sea, likely referencing the fact rosemary thrives in harsh conditions, sandy coastal soils, flourishing wild by the sea.
More recently, it is referenced twice in the works of Shakespeare – first, in Romeo and Juliet, where Juliet is bestowed with rosemary following her untimely death – secondly, in Hamlet, where Ophelia hands Hamlet himself a sprig of rosemary, pleading him not to repeat his mistakes;
“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you love, remember.”
All this coinciding history hundreds and even thousands of years between, remains relevant – because according to most historical accounts, the association with our
Wreath Laying at Yandina Cenotaph.
