Identity+and+mateship+-+Damian

Explain the importance of mate ship in the film //Gallipoli.// Provide examples of mateship depicted in the film, its value and importance to the individuals. How was this reflected as an element of Australian society at that time i.e. during the decade 1910-1920? Write a short story showing examples of mate-ship in today's troops fighting in Afghanistan.

In the movie Gallipoli, mateship is a very important thing. It is shown at the end when Archie Hamilton ([|Mark Lee]) volunteers to take Frank Dunne ([|Mel Gibson]) position in the front line to fight because Frank is scared to fight. So Archie basically killed himself to make his mate Frank happy. If Frank had of gone in the front line he would have probably gotten shot too but Archie stood up and showed real mateship and then got shot. Another example of mate-ship shown in the film Gallipoli is when Frank joins the Light horse just because Archie joined it, and also when they make the trip all the way to Perth together because they couldn't enroll where they were. [|Definition of mateship:]



'Mateship' is a concept that can be traced back to early colonial times. The harsh environment in which convicts and new settlers found themselves meant that men and women closely relied on each other for all sorts of help. In Australia, a 'mate' is more than just a friend. It's a term that implies a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional assistance. Mateship is a term traditionally used among men, and it is a term frequently used to describe the relationship between men during times of challenge. The popular notion of mateship came to the fore during [|World War 1]. During this period the word 'mate' became interchangeable with the word 'digger', which had its roots in the gold digging fields of the 1850s. Mateship was a big part of Australian society during the decade 1910-1920. Everyone from Australia was seen as such brave people and who would help out their mates whenever. This came from the ANZAC's at Gallipoli because they were so brave, fighting against the odds, and were thought to always stick to together with each other and always protect each other no matter what came towards them, and most of all, always knew how to have a joke and have fun with each-other.



Mateship is also shown in Afghanistan right now where our Australian troops are fighting against terrorism, where the main target is the Taliban. Even though many of our soldiers are dying, they are still sticking together and helping eachother out, and standing up for human rights and fighting for our country. Many people believe or are arguing that our soldiers should leave Afghanistan and return home, but they are still staying positive about everything and are still saying that they have everything under control. But as everyone knows, and what the news is telling us, they don't have it under control and the Taliban will never die or give up.[| 'Operation Slipper']is the name given to the task given to the [|Australian Defence Force](ADF) involvement to the war in Afghanistan. The operation started late into 2001 and is still going, and might still go for years to come. ADF participation included two major activities based in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. The Anzac spirit suggests that Australian and New Zealand soldiers have similar characteristics to eachother, especially the qualities the soldiers are believed to have shown in World War I. Some of these qualities include endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, larrikinism, and most important of all, mateship.

Journalist Emily McDonald wrote about her observations on mateship in Afghanistan. In her article [|"Mateship a powerful weapon"]