What first began as an acronym has, over the past 100 years, become much, much more.

Anzac has become embedded as the spirit of Australia (and New Zealand). It stands for courage, true heroism and mateship.

Anzac is not a brand and should be treated with the respect and the dignity it deserves. Anzac should not be trivialised in the name of making the almighty dollar.

For businesses to cash in on the name and spirit of Anzac and the men and women who bravely fought – and many who died – for Australia is nothing short of abhorrent.

Making mileage out of a sacred anniversary that is the heart of our nation’s identity is just downright tacky. And, deservedly, the federal government has sent out a salvo to the Australian corporate world that it will quickly take action if they trivialise the word Anzac.

The warning follows supermarket giant Woolworths being forced to take down an Anzac commemorative website promoting the company after it failed to seek permission for its use.

Veterans Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson, who personally intervened to end the campaign, said the Woolworths incident should cause other businesses to pause and reflect.

The grocery giant has apologised and deleted its Anzac commemoration website, which invited users to share war tributes alongside the Woolies logo and under the slogan “fresh in our memories”. Woolworths offered no comment when asked about its failure to seek permission to use the word ‘Anzac’, but expressed regret that the Woolworths branding on the site had caused offence.

“Like many heritage Australian companies, we were marking our respect for Anzac and our veterans. We continue to be proud supporters of the RSL and Camp Gallipoli in this important year and look forward to working with them into the future,” Woolworths said in a statement. Woolworths is not the only Australian corporation trying to cash in on such a sacred event. 

While less tacky than Woolies, ‘Anzac’ merchandise like coffee mugs, t-shirts, hoodies and the like, are on the shelves at other department stores.

Anzac is a commemoration, a celebration, a time to reflect on the past and the heroes that helped forge this nation into what it is today.

Anzac should not be looked on as a cash-cow.