About
Sands of Gallipoli
 THE
INSPIRATION
The idea for annual Sands of Gallipoli commemorative collections
was born after Canberra based Managing Director of BrandNet, Stephen
Davie, enjoyed an afternoon with Australia's last surviving Gallipoli
ANZAC, Alec Campbell in early 2002. Over a slow malt whisky in Alec's
lounge in Tasmania, the pair discussed Alec's desire to connect
future generations of Australians to the memories of Australia's
wartime history and service.
"After talking with Alec I knew we needed something very tangible
to connect people to the Gallipoli story, said Stephen. People needed
to be able to embrace Gallipoli - to feel close to the place where
Alec and his mates gave their innocence so that we could have the
kind of society we have today."
"Alec didn't glorify his Gallipoli campaign but he appreciated
the legacy had grown to become a major part of who we are as Australians.
I wanted to capture this in a way that respected both the reality
of the campaign - the absolute horror that it must have been, but
also somehow to acknowledge respectfully and gratefully, the sacrifices
made."
Working with communications consultant Ian Paterson, Stephen spent
weeks exploring options to make Gallipoli real for current and future
generations. "One evening Ian and I decided to imagine that
morning on April 25 1915 and what those first soldiers might have
felt. We imagined pulling to shore in oar driven boats not knowing
what lay ahead. When did the gun fire start? How close where the
Turkish rounds whistling down from perfect vantage; imagine clambering
out of tall boats into the water's edge and confronting the open
beach. Imagine the blokes in those first landing boats running for
their lives in full kit on the heavy beach sand."
"It was the idea that the sand itself was in cohorts with the
Turkish that lead us to focus on the beach. We pretty much looked
at each other and said SAND! That was the link. The heavy sand was
for most the first step into months of hell. Sands of Gallipoli
was created."
On May 16, 2002 Alec Campbell passed away. Our last ANZAC was gone.
Today Sands of Gallipoli is how we can share the spirit. Sands of
Gallipoli is dedicated to Alec and his mates - the diggers who inspired
a nation.
BRINGING HOME THE SANDS
The sand for our collection was respectfully collected from the
landing sites at ANZAC Cove. The sands were dried and then hand
screened to achieve consistent grain size. Once sorted, the sands
were sealed and shipped to Australia. The permit to import the
sands into Australia was provided by the Australian Quarantine
and Inspection Service (AQIS). The sand is securely stored in
the national capital.
CREATING UNIQUE COLLECTIONS
Each year the team behind Sands of Gallipoli investigate themes
for the following year's collection. Because of the historical
significance of each collection the team works closely with recognised
military historians to make sure all information gathered and
presented is factual and is provided in context of the Gallipoli
history.
With the theme decided the design team set about creating images
and commemorative pieces that will stand the test of time, both
as collectables and as inspirational pieces people can embrace
as they remember the ANZAC story.
WINNING AWARDS
2004
The 2004 campaign was a great successful with the combined efforts
of RSL - Queensland Branch, Rowland Communications Group and Market
Link Solutions.
The campaign won the following awards,
1. Public Relations Institute of Australia: National
Gold Award for marketing communications
2. Public Relations Institute of Australia: Queensland Gold
Award for marketing communications
3. Public Relations Institute of Australia: Queensland Gold
Award for overall award for excellence
2005
In September 2005 the Sands of Gallipoli recieved two awards at
the ACT Australian Marketing Institute 2005 National Awards for
Marketing Excellence.
The awards were;
1.Winner, New Product/Service
2.Winner, Marketing Communications
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