Australian navy ship visits |02 August 2012

During their visit to Seychelles, the crew of HMAS Anzac will take part in a friendly football match with officers of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces tomorrow at 10am at the Mont Fleuri playing field.
 
There will also be two community outreach activities organised at the Plaisance Home for the Elderly and Plaisance Creche at 9am on Saturday August 4, where crew members will carry out paint work.
 
“I am delighted to announce the second visit of an Australian navy ship to the Seychelles this year.

  This is indeed a testament to the strength of the relations between our two countries.  I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Alain Mondon of Prime Paints Pty Ltd who has very generously donated paint and materials for Saturday’s community outreach activities,” said Australian high commissioner Sandra Vegting.

HMAS Anzac’s commanding officer, John Stavridis, said: “My crew are very much looking forward to visiting the Seychelles and engaging with the community along with seeing some of the magnificent sights on offer.”

Anzac is the third Royal Australian navy ship to carry the name of an Australian legend.

 Named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the First World War, the ANZACs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula as part of a larger Allied Force on April 25, 1915, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders.

 The campaign dragged on for a further eight months of hellish trench warfare, giving berth to a legend of endurance, selflessness, dedication to duty and mateship in the most demanding of environments.

 It is a shared memory of common sacrifice for the nations involved, regardless of nationality or religion, providing an enduring example for the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and Australians as a whole. ANZAC Day is annually commemorated in Australia on April 25.

 As such, Anzac proudly bears her name underpinned by the motto – ‘United We Stand’.