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Title

Main Committee

ADJOURNMENT

Anzac Day

Database

House Hansard

Date

02-06-2005

Source

House of Reps

Parl No.

41

Electorate

Gilmore

Interjector

 

Main Committee/Federation Chamber

Yes

Page

162

Party

LP

Presenter

 

Status

Final

Question No.

 

Questioner

 

Responder

 

Speaker

Gash, Joanna, MP

Stage

Anzac Day

Type

 

Context

ADJOURNMENT

System Id

chamber/hansardr/2005-06-02/0161


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Thursday, 2 June 2005
Page: 162


Mrs GASH (1:14 PM) —As a prelude to last Anzac Day, the pupils of Kangaroo Valley Public School wrote essays on the theme ‘We will remember them’. Each Anzac Day in towns and villages right across Australia we see more and more of our young people joining in the ceremonies celebrating the legend of Anzac, something which was instrumental in creating for us our proud heritage. It is important that we do remember them—those who have fought for us—and the most appropriate way is for the story to be passed on to successive generations.

I would like to read onto the record excerpts from some of the essays that were given me. Laura Kent is a year 4 student, and she wrote:

We should lay flowers down on their memorials and give them some of our time because they gave us years of their time—so we will remember them.

Declan Moore wrote:

We should commemorate Anzac Day by marching down the street with pride.

I, Declan Moore, do this every year with more than pride and honour but memory of the soldiers that died—I wasn’t alive then but our class saw the movie about the Anzacs.

Year 3 pupil Max Warren talked about Lone Pine, which he said:

... was called that because the Turkish cut down all the trees for rooves of the trenches, except for one.

4000 Turks died and 2700 Anzacs died in that battle.

At the battle of the Nek, wave after wave of Anzacs got shot.

At the end together, the Anzacs and Turks buried their dead.

Rebekah Radic of year 5 took a different perspective. She wrote about the home front and the diaries of one woman who kept the home fires burning. She wrote:

A strange man in a black suit came and knocked on our door.

My mother opened it and said; Can I help you?

He answered, “Here is a note from the Kokoda Trail.”

My mother sat down and read the letter.

She re-read it about three times.

Finally she turned to me and said, “Your father died in action”.

I was shocked. I had no hope now.

I missed him dearly but now I don’t know. I ran out and cried.

Rory of year 3 wrote about Gallipoli and was moved enough to write:

When I grow up I’ll do anything to stop war.

Maisie Cohen of year 6 took a philosophical view by asking:

... why do we have wars against different cultures?

Many people who went to war thought that it would be an adventure, a journey to becoming a real man.

But really, how would they become a man if they didn’t make it back alive?

Jacob Radic is in year 1, and his submission is in the form of a certificate. He, too, wrote about Gallipoli:

Some of the Australians did not get shot so they were lucky.

Many of them came home without legs or arms.

Haydn Martin, in year 2, did something similar. Haydn chose to quote an extract from a soldier’s diary:

I had to dodge the bullets and it was hard.

I had to dig. They found me. Oh no!

My gun didn’t work and the Turks were shooting their machine guns.

Year 6 pupil Kari Mather was awarded first prize for her contribution. After writing about the experiences of a young girl during war time, Kari finished with a statement of her own:

I wish we didn’t have war.

It’s supposed to solve problems but it doesn’t.

It just makes the problems worse.

Campbell Harvey was another to make a contribution. He is in year 5, and his essay is a story tinged with imagination. I found it a very good read, and he obviously put a lot of effort into it.

These young children’s stories are part of the passage of life. They are just beginning to appreciate what war is all about. Hopefully they will never have to face the full horrors of war in their lifetimes, but if they do they need to be spiritually ready to confront that challenge. It is our duty to ensure they are prepared. I congratulate the Kangaroo Valley Public School for organising these essays about Gallipoli. I was very impressed with the number of submissions that were presented by the school.