BHCS NEWSLETTER

Call for ANZAC Spirit 

By Joy McGrath(Co-ordinator for BHCS ANZAC Commemoration)

Due to the current restrictions, our annual whole school Anzac assembly will unfortunately not take place this year, however that does not mean that we can't share our pride in our Anzacs both past and present. 

 

If you have students learning from home, please read through these ideas so that as a family you can share in this important Australian time of remembrance.

  1. Flowers:  If you live near an RSL or Anzac monument, gather a bouquet of flowers to place there on Anzac Day when you are out on your daily walk. Include sprigs of rosemary if you have that, as it is a symbol of remembrance.
  2. Display the Australian flag: Hang your Australian flag with pride where others can see it. There was one printed with the Herald-Sun daily newspaper last Saturday, and a POPPY REMEMBRANCE poster coming with this Thursday’s Herald-Sun paper.
  3. Make poppies to wear or create a poppy wreath out of a cardboard circle, red coloured paper and rosemary sprigs.  Templates for poppies are easy to find and print out on the internet.
  4. Make an ANZAC lantern: Cut down a white plastic 2L milk carton, decorate the outside with things your family associate with the ANZAC spirit – poppies, soldiers, crosses, ‘No Greater Love’ Bible verse – then insert a battery operated candle. Place in a window of your home to share with the community.
  5. Share your family story- If you have family members who are serving or who served in the military, this is a wonderful time to look at old photos, medals, and mementos as a family and share what you know of their story. Oral history is a vital part of students knowing who they are in terms of historical context. Older students should be given the opportunity to research more about the arenas of conflict connected to their family experience.
  6. Interview and record: Older students may like to hear firsthand about what it is like to be involved in a war effort. Talking to a veteran may be an opportunity to learn at a personal level, but sensitivity must be kept not to push a veteran to talk about areas he/she find difficult.
  7. Write letters of appreciation:  Have your child write a letter, draw a picture or create a poem of thanks and drop it off at your local RSL branch to encourage and uplift veterans.
  8. Memorise: Younger students might be challenged to learn the Bible verse of John 15:13 (“Greater love has no one than this…). Middle Schoolers could learn the Ode (‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old…). Seniors could learn the words of ‘In Flander’s Fields’ (‘In Flander’s fields the poppies blow…)
  9. Donate: The RSL, Legacy Australia and Soldier On! are just three organizations supporting our veterans past and present as well as their families. So much needs to be done to meet their mental and physical needs and funding will be down this year without the sale of poppies, pins and wrist bands to the general public. Give generously.
  10. Set your alarm on Saturday- Watch the dawn service taking place at the National War Museum in Canberra at 5:30am and then join the LIGHT UP THE DAWN initiative, by standing at the end of your driveway at 6.00 am with a candle or a light.
  11. Take a Photo! If you have something special you would like to share with the wider school community of how your family marked ANZAC Day, take a photo and send it into BHCS via office@bhcs.vic.edu.au and it may be included in a future edition of the newsletter!

I hope these ideas might be a starting point for our BHCS families to keep the spirit of ANZAC going strong in 2020!