For me, the term ANZAC draws instant emotion that at times I find difficult to describe. I believe that the bravery and valour of our servicewomen and servicemen who put their lives at risk for the benefit of our country cannot be captured adequately in words. For us, ANZAC day is a time to remember and honour these brave soldiers who stood up for the values our country believes in so deeply.
Our Australian culture believes so deeply in the value of resilience and mateship – standing by your friends and peers, and supporting one another through whatever is thrown your way. Our ANZACs typify this – the one all, all in attitude that unites us, and demonstrates that together anything can be achieved. These values align so closely with our Kolbe Way values – that by standing up, stepping forward and walking together, our community can overcome any challenges that come our way. We had the privilege of gathering as a community this week to celebrate our ANZAC Day ceremony. We were honoured by the presence of so many active and veteran servicewomen and servicemen in our community – parents, ex-students, ex-staff – as well as our own student cadets. The opportunity to thank them all for their service was embraced by our entire assembly. We were also grateful for the presence of the City of Rockingham’s Deputy Mayor, Hayley Edwards, who was a Medic in the Royal Australian Air Force, and was involved in the rescue mission of Australians during the Bali Bombings in 2002. Her courage and selflessness was inspirational, and we were so thankful that Hayley shared her story with us all. Finally, it would be remiss of me to not thank Mrs Robin Delamont, our Defence Transition Mentor, who works tirelessly every day to support our Defence Force students and families at Kolbe.
The spirit within our ANZACs is something we should all aspire to. I leave you with two things – firstly a quote from Victoria Cross recipient, Albert Jacka. Albert was awarded with Australia’s highest military honour for his service in World War I, but he is also known for leaving us with this pearl of wisdom. When speaking to someone about his heroics, Albert said:
‘There is no limit to what a man can do, so long as he does not care a straw who gets the credit for it’.
In true ANZAC spirit, Albert was trying to teach others that by focusing on ‘team’ and ‘we’ instead of ‘I’, we find more reward, and true greatness.
Finally, as an avid AFL enthusiast, I love nothing more than to sit down on ANZAC day to watch Collingwood play Essendon at the MCG. This year, I was fortunate enough to witness one of the best post-game speeches I have ever heard given by a sportsperson. In what was an epic game, Collingwood finally prevailed after overcoming a gallant Essendon. In the presentation of the ANZAC Day Trophy, Collingwood’s captain Darcy Moore was invited to say a few words. It would have been easy to get caught up in the moment of what was an incredible victory, but instead, Darcy found a way to send a poignant message to all Australians, which honoured all those affected by the heroics of our brave ANZACS. If you have a spare three minutes, enjoy watching this moment that made me so proud to live in our amazing country.