[Lugers down under]

Many thanks big Norm for your really nice historical observations about our two countries.
Australia and New Zealand are very much like the United States and Canada. Australia is very much our big brother.
The day our two nations were "baptised" was of course the 25th of April 1915. The ANZAC's landing at Gallipoli. That battle was the forge that created both of our nations and the ANZAC'S the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp.
It is our national day. No shops are open. No pubs in NZ until mid day. Every one attends ANZAC day dawn prade, young and old. It is, frankly, our nations sacred day. It is the day I can wear my Fathers, My gradfather's and my Great Grand father medals. All won on foreign soil. Only one returned, my father.
We are a very small country and nation. In 1918 we were very small with a population of less than 2 milion. In 30 miniutes, in one battle at Passchendaele, New Zealand lost 1500 men.
Of 2 million, 750.000 served in WW1.

The history associated with the guns that we collect is worth a thousand times the dollars we might pay for them.

In all of our military history, we served in every war, from the Boer war of 1899 to Afganistan last year.
Only one country has ever come to help us in our time of need in 1941.
The United States of America.