Author’s Note

I was at a loss for an idea for the challenge until my father suggested I go and have a chat with Mr David Lewien, a Vietnam veteran. He did not suggest anyone locally, but he spoke about to his interpretations of Leadership and Legacy. I decided to take Chaplain Andrew Gillison as a model for a leader leaving a legacy, as he was in World War One, as was my great grandfather. I have never heard much about my great grandfather’s experiences, because he never talked of the times he had experienced and there is not much information available to gather. So I wanted to learn a bit more about what he would have suffered in the times of the Great War. After researching for a while, I met up with Mrs Annie Gillison-Gray, the granddaughter of Andrew Gillison. We had a lively talk as she shared her memories and thoughts of her grandfather and the annual memorials they have at St Georges Presbyterian Church in St Kilda.
I would also like to acknowledge my family for their help and support in the production of this recount. I thank my father and my brother especially for their time in coming with me on a special trip to the Australian War Memorial, to browse at Andrew Gillison’s diary and records. I would also like to acknowledge the staff at the Australian War Memorial for their time in obtaining the records for me to read.
These are things that I never would have done, had I not focussed on Andrew Gillison: met an amazing woman, Mrs Annie, or visited the Australian War Memorial in Australia’s capital.

Introduction

While the Federation of Australia occurred in 1901, 25th April 1915 is the national day hallowed as the birth of a great nation, whose identity was formed on the bloody sands of a foreign nation: Gallipoli. It was a campaign of little strategic significance in the Great War; rather it was the place of a complete military disaster,