Spirit, Courage and Sacrifice

By Fr Chester Lord, School Chaplain

Our online Religious Education work for the last two weeks has focused on the spirit, courage and sacrifice of the ANZACs, through reflection, poetry, journal entries, mindfulness and art. 

Through these activities, we have paid homage to those, including relatives and cherished Old Boys, who gave up so much in pursuit of our peace and freedom that we now enjoy. We concluded that with such freedom comes great responsibility.

We show our gratitude by striving to be the best that we can be every day and by living out the Anzac values of bravery, service, mateship, resilience and love. It serves as a timely reminder to never forget the great price paid by so many, to treat each other with dignity and respect and to always pursue peace and reconciliation.

Students offer their perspective:

‘I have enjoyed listening to the story ‘I Was Only Nineteen’ and you could tell from the book that the conditions in the war were horrendous. Therefore, Anzac Day is a very special day for all of us and it is an important time to commemorate those who put their lives on the line to serve for Australia and make Australia the wonderful country that it is today. Many brave soldiers went to war and lots of them sadly passed away. It is respectful that all of us to show our gratitude on Anzac Day.’  Kenneth Yeung

‘I finished watching the story and thought I would share my thoughts on it. I think it is amazing how the Anzacs had such a strong connection with each other. They all faced challenges but had each other’s back the whole time. Nobody was left behind and that is how it should still be today. We should never forget.’  James Crewdson