From the Principal 

“Wherever land and water meet culture, imagination and memory thrive.”

This Remembrance Day marks 102 years since the guns fell silent and the hostilities ceased on the battlefields of France and Belgium. World War I was over after four years of unimaginable destruction. Never before had the world seen such bloodshed, 62,000 Australian men died along with a further 12 million people across the globe. The following year, in 1919, King George V issued a proclamation to the Commonwealth that ‘all locomotives must cease so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead’.  We remain forever grateful for the sacrifice of those who died or otherwise suffered in conflict so that we could live in freedom.   

Finally, I recognise this week is NAIDOC week and I acknowledge the Gunditjmara people on whose land we gather to continue our learning journey today.  I do acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original custodians of Australia. I humbly pay my respects to Elders of the past, present and emerging and acknowledge their spiritual connection to country. 

Dr Andrew Hirst

Principal