Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to recognise an important study tour that students from Brighton Secondary School in South Australia recently embarked upon to learn more about Australia’s involvement on the Western Front in the Great War—where, coincidentally, my grandfather, Edward John Farrell, fought.

This year a group of seven students, who were accompanied by a teacher, travelled to the Somme region in France to attend the official Commonwealth government dawn service at the Australian national monument near Villers-Bretonneux. They also attended a local community service held in the town centre. Last year, the students who were selected to participate in this program wrote an expression of interest where they described what the Anzac memory meant to them and why they wanted to be part of the trip. Since then the students researched aspects of local history or a person who was involved in the Battle of the Somme.

With the help of the Australian War Graves Commission, the group identified 26 soldiers who originated from their local council area, the City of Holdfast Bay, and were buried in graves in the Somme area. The students found that the war records of these soldiers were very sad, many enlisting only weeks before they went to battle and were now buried in unknown soldiers’ graves.

During the two official ceremonies, the students placed wreaths of Australian native flowers on the memorials. Judging from the photographs I saw, they were banksias. They also placed small bouquets of native flowers on the individual graves of the identified soldiers at the Pozieres Australian war cemetery. The students brought the native flowers with them all the way from Australia, so they held special significance as well as generating a lot of interest from the locals. The group also visited a number of museums and other cemeteries in the Somme area, including the Franco-Australian Museum for World War I in Villers-Bretonneux.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Brighton Secondary School and speaking to the students about their trip. I left them with a copy of my grandfather’s World War I letters, which he wrote while serving at the front. All of the students agreed that the tour was a life-changing experience that personalised their understanding of the war and the sacrifices made by our diggers and their families. One student, Holly Winter, wore the medals of her great-grandfather during the ceremony. Brighton Secondary School students Kim Evans, Mark Oakley, Liz Affleck, Gabby Coote, Grace Banner and Tara Bouchier also attended, along with assistant principal Jenny Hilterbrand.

Their journey enhanced their understanding of the magnitude of Australia’s involvement in and heavy losses sustained during the Great War. Learning about the personal sacrifices of the Australians sent to fight helped to highlight the enormous tragedy of the conflict. The students also studied the war’s incredible impact on France and they reported that the French have great respect and appreciation of the involvement of Australians during both the first and second world wars. The dawn service was an emotional experience for them and gave them an opportunity to reflect on all they had learned on their trip. One of the students commented that she ‘had never been so proud to be an Australian’.

The tour was an excellent example of successful school and community partnerships. The Brighton RSL assisted with establishing historical connections and in the research process and, together with the Brighton Bowling Club, sponsored the cost of a special jacket to be worn by the students during and after their tour. The jackets displayed the logos of all the contributing groups as well as the Australian flag, which meant that the group was easily identifiable as they carried out their research activities.

I would also like to recognise the contribution of the Brighton Lions Club, which made a significant donation to the school to support the tour. A grant from the Anzac Day Commemoration Fund, a program managed by the South Australian government, has been awarded to the school to support ways in which the research findings from the tour can be used to educate others in the future. I have been advised by Brighton Secondary that Ms Chloe Fox, the state member for Bright, and the members for Hindmarsh and Boothby have also been very supportive of the trip.

As the school has a strong commitment to maintaining the Anzac memory and a structured values education program, it has already established some prestigious awards called the Spirit of Anzac Awards. These awards are presented to one student per year in each year level who displays to a very high degree the Anzac qualities of mateship, leadership, courage and perseverance.

The school have told me that they would be pleased to be involved in official activities and planning for the 2015 anniversary of the battle of Gallipoli. During a previous meeting in 2008 between the school, the Minister for Youth and Sport and Mr Warren Featherby of the Spirit of Gallipoli committee, initial conversations around this idea occurred, and I look forward to Brighton Secondary School’s participation. The school has made a special offer for students in the prestigious special interest music program to perform at the ceremony, as well as to develop a concert, musical or play to be performed in the soon to be constructed school and community performing arts centre.

It is a pleasure for me to see young Australians taking a strong interest in the Anzacs and thinking about what the tradition means while remembering and honouring those who sacrificed their lives for their nation. I am also pleased to see more young people attending Anzac Day events to honour the memory of Australia’s service men and women. On Anzac Day this year I attended the dawn service at One Tree Hill, which was run by the One Tree Hill Progress Association and which attracted between 300 and 500 people in unusually torrential rain. It was a marvellous service and there was a diverse mix of young and old who braved the very rainy conditions to attend.

The last ceremony in One Tree Hill was 40 years ago. The One Tree Hill Progress Association identified that there was some demand in the community for this event and decided to hold a service. Squadron Leader Bruce Whittington from the Aerospace Operational Support Group at Edinburgh RAAF Base ran the service and did an excellent job in the inclement weather conditions. Ros Bond from the Uniting Church was the chaplain who led the prayer, and the organisers tell me that there were at least five World War II veterans present at the ceremony. It was very clear that the One Tree Hill Progress Association had put a great deal of effort into organising the event, and in the Senate this evening I would like to formally acknowledge their efforts. It was one of the most professional, well-organised and moving dawn services I have attended. It was a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives and it allowed those who attended to reflect on the sacrifices these service men and women made for their country.

In conclusion, I would like to thank both Brighton Secondary School and the One Tree Hill Progress Association for their efforts to honour the Anzacs’ spirit and to ensure that we never forget their sacrifice.