Premier’s Anzac Tour 

Historical program returns

Next monthYear 10 student Isabella Hulm will represent St Norbert College in the 2021 Premier’s Anzac Student Tour. Isabella secured a place in the 2020 overseas tour however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed.

On February 25, at the War Widows Guild of Australia, Isabella and the other tour participants were acknowledged at a ceremony attended by the Hon Samantha Rowe MLC Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training and John McPherson RSLWA Veteran Liaison Officer. Both spoke of the importance of the students understanding the true significance of the Anzac spirit of courage, mateship and a fair go for all and how this has formed an integral part of Australia’s national identity today. Mr McPherson also read the students a very moving poem entitled the “The Anzac on the Wall” which gave students a very moving account of the realities of war not just for the soldiers on the front line but also their families back home.

The 14 tour participants then began a three-day camp at the School of Isolated and Distance Education in Leederville in order to gain some valuable time to get to know one another and learn more about their roles as student ambassadors for the State.

The 2021 Premier’s Anzac Student Tour will visit Kununurra, Broome and Rottnest, culminating in an Anzac Day dawn service at the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Mount Clarence in Albany. The historical education program focusses on:

• the Anzac legacy in the context of Western Australia’s pastoral heritage;
• nation building between the wars; and
• the defence of the home-front during World War II.

Students will visit important historical sites including the flying boat wrecks in Broome, the Oliver Hill battery and tunnels on Rottnest, the Special Air Service Regiment Museum at Campbell Barracks, and the State Library of Western Australia to explore the military collection items.

The College and Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Area are extremely proud of Isabella’s outstanding achievements and we wish her all the best and look forward to hearing about her tour experience on her return to school.

Mr A McGoorty (Humanities Teacher)