Each year ANZAC Day, 25 April, is marked by Australians all around the country. The memorial has also produced many a fine song, but I don’t often cover them here – not because the day means nothing, because I go to a dawn service every year to honour a great-grandfather who served on various fronts in World War I and a great-uncle who served in World War II, both of whom never recovered from their experiences. So I take the day seriously.
I’ll admit that what made me want to listen to this new song from 24-year-old Queenslander and 2018 CMAA Academy graduate Mitch Lynham is that it’s co-written with the profoundly wonderful Fanny Lumsden. What kept me listening to it on repeat, though, is Lynham. It’s clear that this song means something to him – this is not lip service to a national tradition. This is a story full of heart and emotion, which Lynham brings to the song. It’s a fitting accompaniment to what is, for many, The One Day of the Year.
Listen to ‘Living Heart of the Anzac’ on Soundcloud.