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BEARS OVER THERE™ |
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Digger Bear™ Our original Digger Bear™ - to recognise Australian participation in WW1. "It is up to YOU to keep the Tradition Alive" - RSL theme.
Digger Bear™, a high quality collectable bear stands approx 36cm tall.
Overseas customers please email, fax or post us the completed order form, this will ensure appropriate postage is paid
Digger Bear™ was designed by Bears Over There™ as a special tribute to our
forefathers, those who died and those who survived the Great War - WW1 - men who became
known as "DIGGERS". Our
gratitude goes to the Australian Army who granted
special permission for us to replicate
the Rising Sun Emblem - an emblem deeply revered in the history of our country.
A donation from each sale of our Military bears is made to the RSL, for their
use within the Australian community. The Digger Bear™
project was thoroughly researched to ensure accuracy in all aspects of the
uniform, and special moulds were commissioned, to ensure that the iconic slouch hat, and
the Rising Sun emblems, as worn during the First World War, were also accurately
reproduced. Digger Bear™ was presented to the Mayor of Villers Bretonneux, France, during 90th Anniversary
World War 1 commemorations, by an official delegation of Victorian Government
representatives, in April 2005.
He has also been presented to winners of the "Spirit of ANZAC" Competition - a
Victorian Government schools initiative to preserve the memory of these fine
Australians. Other Digger Bears™
were presented by the Victorian RSL, to an official delegation from Villers Bretonneux, while visiting
Victoria.
The Australian High Commission in London arranged for Digger Bear™
to be presented to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and also amongst others, the Sutton Veny
Primary School in Wiltshire, where Australian troops in WW1 were buried in the
grounds of the
local parish church, and where each year the children from the school hold a
special service
and place posies on the graves of our servicemen. Many Australian contingents serving overseas
are currently using Digger Bear™ as their mascot, and we welcome photos which
include Digger Bear™ and our troops, so that we can include them on our "Digger's Escapades" page. **************************************** All bears come in fantastic clear presentation boxes, making them great for collectors wishing to protect but still display their bears, or for those desiring a quality and special gift with that touch of something different. **************************************** Digger Bear ™ comes complete with the following historic information on his ear-tagThe Great War (1914-1918) was characterised by an extreme level of sacrifice and loss of life. The temperament of the emerging Australian nation was set by the servicemen fighting in all theatres of the First World War. Their exemplary bravery, ingenuity and demeanour endeared them to the civilian population and other soldiers. Australians were generally at the forefront of all major battles and decisive attacks, especially in France and Belgium, and were effectively the “shock troops” of the Allied armies. The Gallipoli campaign set the tone for the attitude exhibited thereafter. It was during this war that the term ‘Digger’, referring to Australian Soldiers, was initiated & widely adopted. It is still proudly used today. An entire generation of Australian manhood was effectively decimated by the Great War, with hardly a family or community escaping the huge losses. Of the 331,781 Australian troops to take the field of war between 1914-1918, 64.8% were to become casualties. Of the total population of Australia, 6.8% actually took to the fields of battle. (C.E.W. BEAN – Official Historian). Australian soldiers are still fondly remembered and respected by the citizens of the countries in which they fought and died, and command respect still afforded to them today. LEST WE FORGET |
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