Applications to take part in a ballot for tickets to attend Gallipoli for the Anzac Centenary in 2015 have closed.
The deadline for Australian and New Zealand citizens to apply to be in the ballot – which will decide who will attend the service in Turkey in April 2015 – closed at midnight on the 31st January 2014.
The Australian and New Zealand press have reported the “massive interest” in the ballot with a “last minute surge” in applications.
As many as three in every four New Zealanders who applied for tickets will be left disappointed, according to reports.
ABC News reported that more than 29,000 people have registered to be part of the ballot.
The demand far exceeds the capacity of 10,500 attendees agreed with the Turkish authorities.
8,000 tickets have been allocated to Australia and 2,000 to New Zealand. The remaining 500 will be reserved for official representatives and guests.
Michael Hodgson, Australia’s Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac, acknowledged that there would be disappointment for some who had applied for places at the Gallipoli service:
“Any Australian who would like to be at the Gallipoli Dawn Service in 2015″, he said, but the huge demand meant that not everyone would be successful in their application.
Senator Hodgson stressed that commemorations would not be limited to the Gallipoli peninsula and that Australians who are not successful in the ballot can consider other opportunities.
“In addition to services in Australia and New Zealand for Anzac Day, there will be services in France and the United Kingdom to mark the Centenary of Anzac 2014-2018”.
Ticket distribution
New Zealand – 2000 tickets
– 100 double passes (200 tickets in total) by ballot for direct descendants of Gallipoli veterans.
– 100 double passes (200 tickets in total) by ballot for New Zealand veterans.
– 750 double passes (1500 tickets in total) by ballot for all New Zealanders (including descendants and veterans who were unsuccessful in their specific ballot).
– 100 places in total reserved outside of the ballot for special groups such as youth representatives.
Australia – 8000 tickets
– 3,000 double passes (6,000 tickets in total) to be allocated through the ballot to the Australian general public.
– Special Representatives – war widows do not need to apply for ballot will be included as part of Australia’s official representative group. The Department of Veterans Affairs will contact them.
– Special Representatives – direct descendants 400 double passes (800 tickets in total) will be allocated through the ballot to direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc). of those who served in the Gallipoli campaign.
– Special Representatives – veterans 400 double passes (800 tickets in total) will be awarded to Australian veterans through the ballot who have qualifying service or who have deployed on any operations outside of Australia, whether they are warlike, non-warlike or peacetime operations.
– Special Representatives – school students 400 single passes will be awarded outside of the ballot to secondary school students and their chaperones. These places will be allocated and managed by the states and territories.
For both the Australian and New Zealand ballots, the majority of those successul in their ticket applications are expected to cover their own travel and accomodation costs.
Source: Australian and New Zealand Departments for Veterans Affairs websites
Images courtesy of the New Zealand Defence Force – Crown Copyright 2012, Some rights reserved