Ballot Open at Midnight Tonight
The ballot for places at Gallipoli on Anzac Day 2015 will open tonight at
midnight, 15 November 2013 and close at
midnight, 31 January 2014.
This will allow plenty of time for interested Australians to apply. We have also been advised the ballot for issuing passes to attend the Anzac Day services at Gallipoli in 2015 will be held in February 2014 and that those who are successful, will be advised in March 2014.
For more information on the ballot, eligibility arrangements, and to apply from midnight 15 November, visit the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gallipoli 2015 website
www.gallipoli2015.dva.gov.au. It is an excellent website and should answer all of your queries, especially the Frequently Asked Questions section.
You will be able to register for the ballot online or via paper form, with a free call helpline also available from the open date for any issues you may have completing the ballot.
To be eligible to register for the ballot, you must be 18 years or older, on or before 25 April 2015, and you may only register once. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia.
Should you be successful in the ballot, you will receive up to two passes. Therefore, two people travelling together can both register for the ballot, effectively giving you two chances each.
If successful in the ballot, you may give the second pass to whoever you may choose, however your pass is not transferable at all. If you decide not to travel, or are unable to travel, both passes will be forfeited. Clear guidelines will be provided at the time of ballot registration.
The passes are for attendance at both the Dawn Service and the Australian Service at Lone Pine only.
Following the Dawn Service, you are required to walk 3.1km up the steep and unsealed Artillery Road to Lone Pine. Assisted Mobility passes will be available for people unable to walk between the commemorative sites, which includes a shuttle service to Lone Pine. We will advise further information on these passes closer to departure. An in-depth video of this walk will be available on the above website shortly.
Upon conclusion of the Lone Pine service at approximately 11am, you will then re-board your coach for the return trip to your hotel. Given the number of coaches expected in 2015, you may need to wait several hours as coaches cannot begin moving through the site until after the completion of the New Zealand Service at Chunk Bair at 12:15pm.
As you are aware, there are 8,000 passes available to Australians, with four special categories being given a small percentage of passes, some INSIDE the ballot, and some OUTSIDE of the ballot.
War widows of Australian First World War veterans do not need to participate in the ballot and will be included as part of Australia’s official representative group.
400 individual passes will be available (outside of the ballot) for representative secondary school children and their chaperones, to be managed by the states and territories.
400 double passes (inside the ballot) will be reserved for direct descendants of those who served in the Gallipoli campaign, with preference given to the first generation – the sons and daughters of Gallipoli veterans.
400 double passes (inside the ballot) will be reserved for veterans who have qualifying service or who have been deployed in any operations outside of Australia, whether warlike, non-warlike or peacetime operations.
The remaining 3000 double passes will be available to all Australians who meet the eligibility criteria.
For proof of descendancy, veteran criteria and other eligibility, please access the official website above. You may be eligible for several categories and as the ballot is working in a cascading system should you apply in the “Direct Descendent” category 1. but also qualify in the “Veteran” category 2., you should enter in the “Direct Descendent” category first but also nominate the “Veteran” category, then should you be unsuccessful you will be automatically go into the “Veteran” category. If you are unsuccessful in the “Veteran” category then you will automatically go in to the “Australian Public” category. These options will be made clear on the ballot form.
If you are successful in the ballot, you will receive notification in March 2014 to confirm your attendance. You will then have a couple of months to consider your travel options with registration of your passport details, accompanying persons passport details and confirmation of your travel arrangements required between 01 May – 25 October 2014.
If you are unsuccessful, a waitlist will be implemented from late October to 31 March 2015, to redistribute any remaining or forfeited passes from the ballot.
Due to your passport number being required as part of the identification process, it is strongly recommended that you renew your passport shortly, if it is due to expire on or before October 2014. If successful in the ballot, this will ensure that your passport details will be current when confirming your attendance. Australian travellers to Turkey are required to have at least six months validity on your passport, after your expected completed travel date.
At this stage, it is advised that you will receive your official passes direct to the address you advise on your ballot form, in March 2015. Should you be departing Australia earlier, you will need to advise the ticket office at your earliest convenience.
To gain entry to the Anzac Commemorative site for the Dawn Service, you will be required to present both your passport and your official pass at the entry point, therefore your passport must match your pre-registered details.
Due to the large interest in people wishing to attending the centenary commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015, it is expected the numbers entering the ballot will well exceed the passes available, the ballot form will be asking people to consider visiting the Gallipoli battlefields at other times with one example being in August to commemorate the August Offensive of 06 – 10 August 2015 at Lone Pine. At this stage there are no official arrangements being organised by the Australian Government, however we have received many requests and do have battlefield tours available with two coaches already fully booked. Full details can be found on our website www.battlefieldtourspecialists.com.au
For
travel in April 2015, we currently have places available on several tours with premium accommodation in the very best waterfront hotel in Canakkale. The Four star Truva Hotel has undergone a multi-million Euro refurbishment and has a great location, close to the ferry terminal with views across the Dardanelles to the Gallipoli Peninsula. We are extremely fortunate to be able to offer this hotel over this period.
To view our comprehensive day-by-day Gallipoli 2015 Anzac Day Battlefield Tour itinerary please click here.
Should you have any queries or require further information on any of our battlefield tours, please do not hesitate to
contact us.
We wish everyone who enters the ballot the best of luck and look forward to sharing a wonderful experience with you.
Yours sincerely,
John Waller
Manager
