The Coaching Cafe Podcast

ANZAC Day Reflection

• Open Door Coaching

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This week Natalie reflects on ANZAC day. 

For those unfamiliar with the day, ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the day commemorates the 25th of April 1915, the day the Anzac's landed in Gallipoli in the 1st world war. While the day was originally intended to honour the over 8,000 lives lost in the campaign, the day now honours all service people who have lost their lives to war. 

Lest we forget. 

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We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on the lands on which we meet today and they continue to connect into the land, borders and communities of Australia. We pay our respects to them, their elders past, present and emerging. Hello everyone, it's Natalie Ashdown here with you. Just letting you know that because of the Easter public holiday here in Australia, there was no coaching cafe last week, and we have an Anzac Day public holiday coming up this week, so there'll be no coaching cafe. But I'd like to offer you a reflection. And that day here in Australia always makes me stop and pause, and it does for many of us. It's a time of remembrance, reflection and deeper respect. At Open Door, we have the great privilege of working alongside our Defence Forces, particularly Air Force. Over the years, we've had the opportunity to support hundreds of Defence Members in achieving their coaching qualifications. Through this, we've come to know not only the incredible work they do, but the people behind the uniforms, their integrity, their commitment and discipline, and their willingness to serve. I also appreciate the dry sets of humour, and we've had a lot of laughs on our courses about Old Mate doing this or that. Working with Air Force has taken me to some great places. I often joke about wanting to tick off all the Air Force bases or wondering, "Will I see a super-horned at Ambally?" Or, "Will I see the roulette? Fly over a sail?" These are lighthearted moments, but underneath the humour is a constant sense of gratitude and admiration, because we never take for granted what our defence people do, not just in times of conflict, but in emergency responses, community support, and humanitarian efforts. It's not all about fast trips. Every time I step on to base or engage with the Defence put to the point, "I feel deeply thankful. Thankful for their service, and that through coaching, we can offer tools that help them in their roles and leadership." And I am super appreciative of the Open Door team, who make it all happen behind the scenes, to set up our learning environment for success. So this ends that day. I'm asking myself a great coaching question,"What am I grateful for?" And while I don't consider myself particularly religious, I do quietly say a prayer and ask the angels or God or the universe to look after our defence people and the ones that they love and those who love them in return. It's not unusual for us to get messages from defence participants requesting their coaching qualification be put on hold, because they've been deployed or posted. And when that happens, we wonder, "Where are they going? What are they doing?" But most importantly, we hope that they're safe. As Act A brings these thoughts even more sharply into focus, and we simply say,"Thank you for your service. Let's we forget."