One Day of the Year
Apr 25, 2026 10:01 am
Hi
I hope you’re well and safe wherever you are in the world. If you’re new to my newsletter – welcome! It’s lovely to have you here.
Today is one of the most important days in the Australian calendar – Anzac Day – when the nation commemorates and recognises the service of those who have served both in times of war and peace. It’s a public holiday, and hours before the parades and memorial services that take place in every town across the country begin, thousands of Australians rise before the sun comes up to attend a Dawn Service.
25th April has a special significance for Australia (and New Zealand) as it marks the anniversary of the landings of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli in 1915. It was the first major military campaign for a young Australian nation, and the first in which we experienced heavy losses.
Many years ago, I planned to write a novel set in Australia during the First World War, and I did months of research, immersing myself in as much history as I could find, before I finally decided that I just couldn’t do it. The immensity of loss, the futility, the incompetence, and the cruelty that sent hundreds of thousands of men to their deaths for so little gain, was simply a moment in history in which I didn’t want to mentally and emotionally place myself. So the book never got written, and despite knowing that the story developing in my head had the potential for a wonderful novel, I think it was the right decision.
Instead, I went on to write The King James Men, which is the story of a very different conflict – the early 17th Century battle between the established English Church and the Separatists (who eventually went on to become the Mayflower Pilgrims). It was the most difficult book I’ve ever written: the combination of history, theology, and bible translation that form the setting for the growing conflict between two dear friends often had me wondering if I’d bitten off more than I could chew! In the end though, it turned out to be the book I am proudest of.
But I did use a little of my research on the First World War to write an article about the origins of the Dawn Service, which seems to be a uniquely Australian tradition, and in 2011 it was published in Wartime, the magazine of the Australian War Memorial. If you’re interested to know more you can read the article here:
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/5oey0dc1nt
I’ll be spending Anzac Day in Sydney, attending the city’s Anzac Day parade, as I have done for many years. But I most definitely won’t be playing Two-up, which is another uniquely Australian tradition, and permitted only on this one day of the year.
Two-up is a gambling game that involves a spinner throwing up two coins (usually pennies) while players bet on whether they will both land heads or tails up. It’s thought the game originated among the convicts of the nineteenth century, and it was played extensively by Australian soldiers in the First World War. The game is now traditionally played in pubs and clubs throughout Australia on Anzac Day to mark a shared experience with the soldiers of the past (or Diggers, as they are known in Australia). Have I ever played it? No, I’ve never been much of a gambler!
What I’m watching: Doc Martin. Gentle English comedy about a curmudgeonly surgeon who reluctantly becomes a GP in a rural coastal village with more than its fair share of misfits. Delightful.
What I’m reading: Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon. A rollicking adventure story set in central Europe in the 10th Century. Great fun, and a nice change of pace from my previous read, which was Anna Karenina.
Kind regards
Samantha
Here are the links to my books. Have you read them all?
https://www.samgrosserbooks.com
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/samantha-grosser
https://www.facebook.com/samgrosserbooks
