On the weekend, many of us gathered at Optus Stadium for what felt like a familiar ritual. Long queues for chips, the precarious balancing of drinks, the hum of conversation as seats were found. Friendly heckles between isolated Carlton fans and the Dockers Purple Army. And then, the noise fell away. Over fifty thousand people stood still. In that moment of respectful silence during the ANZAC ceremony, the stadium became something else entirely — not just a place of sport, but a place of remembrance.
It would be impossible to fathom during the birth of the ANZAC spirit in the beach landing at Gallipoli that over a hundred years later, the dedication and service would now expand across serving men and women in the Navy, Army, and Air Force, and increasingly in cyberspace.
Driving along Esplanade, we glimpse the silhouettes of the ships docked at HMAS Striling. A reminder of the daily service by those in the Defence Forces and Defence Industries. So many of our families are directly and indirectly involved in Defence, making the ANZAC Day remembrance all the more important.
Kolbe students are engaged with the ANZAC legacy through whole school services and individual journeys. Year 11 Kolbe student Henriette was selected to join the Premier’s ANZAC Student Tour and visited significant places in Darwin and Singapore linked to Australian history and the ANZAC legacy.
“Taking part in commemorative ceremonies allowed us to be able to understand the scale of sacrifice of war in a way that textbooks cannot fully capture. Through our close friendship with one another and each other’s support, we were able to understand the scale of sacrifice and the realities of war,” she reflected. Read more about her experiences in Catholic Education’s news article. I hope younger students at Kolbe are inspired to apply for future Premier ANZAC tours in years to come.
At the Kolbe ANZAC service, Chief Petty Officer Wishart spoke of the connection between the past ANZAC spirit and today’s modern defence forces. At Kolbe, the link to the past has been captured through an immersive experience in the Walsh Learning Centre. Legacies of World War I: Medicine on the Battlefields is a walk-through experience detailing several nurses and doctors who served in World War I, including biographies, first-hand accounts, and outfits that help connect Kolbe students to the service of those in the past. Medical innovations are also detailed in displays that explore advances in the treatment of injured soldiers.
Families can tour the display after school next week, with the Walsh Learning Centre open for visits from 3.45 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
Whether it was through a ceremony shared with thousands of others, or a quiet moment of reflection driving along Esplanade, I hope that you have been able to take a moment to remember Australian and New Zealand forces who have served and fallen in battlefields across the decade and century.
Lest we forget.
