Around the College 

Year 10 History:

Veterans Day

In Week 4, we were fortunate to again host Veterans Day at the College. It is always a very special occasion when three veterans, who served during the Vietnam War, visit and share their experiences with the Year 10 History students. We are so blessed to have three veterans, who have been visiting the College for the past 15 years and we value and honour their contributions and service.

Students study the Vietnam War, and particularly Australia’s role, as part of their course, and in preparation, they also conduct some background research into the veterans. They then prepare questions that will help shape their inquiry. Working in small groups of 5-6, they then meet their individual veteran and have an opportunity to ask questions and hear their stories.  

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to Barry Fox, Lloyd Stevens and Ryk Traeger for providing such a unique and memorable learning opportunity for our students. 

Veterans day was an awesome opportunity to interact with some truly strong people. - Samantha

Veterans Day was a very meaningful experience for me, as I was able to meet war veterans who served their country and hear about their sacrifices and courage. - Stephen

I got a deeper insight of the experiences and circumstances…this helped me understand how the war can affect someone, and how it affects the people around them. I felt honoured to have the chance to talk to them. - Anshika 

Veteran's Day was a great opportunity to hear an unfiltered and honest account of many aspects of their service...It was incredible to hear from a primary source. - Olivia

I found veteran’s day to be a very insightful experience. It is easy to judge or analyse a conflict or war many years after it occurred, but it is different to find the perspectives of those who were involved and what their views were. Learning of the reasons people chose to serve, the conditions they served in and their perspectives from those who experienced it themselves was fascinating. - Jaydon

Veteran’s Day was a great experience, it was interesting …to hear about everything the veterans had been through at Vietnam, as well as the way that impacted them later in life. -Fran

Kelli Delacy

History Teacher

Remembrance Day 2024

On Monday, 11 November the whole school community paused to remember the wartime sacrifices of Australian men and women during a special Remembrance Day observance.

The morning school timetable was restructured so that the observance could take place at the traditional time of 11:00am. The observance commenced with a catafalque party and honour guard. We are grateful to the Australian Air Force Cadets from 604 Squadron who returned to perform ceremonial duties at the service. They were joined this year by members of the 601 and 613 Squadrons. The combined AAFC group included four Endeavour College students.   

Speakers included the new College Captains, students and staff. The observance focused on the notion of sacrifice and how it is understood in a Christian context. The historical significance of Remembrance Day was also explained, as was the meaning behind the wearing of a poppy.

This year marks a significant anniversary. Eighty years ago, in the early hours of Tuesday 6 June 1944, Allied forces made a landing along an eighty-kilometre stretch on the heavily fortified coast of Normandy, France, to fight Nazi Germany. This event, known as D-Day, involved more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft. Many Australians directly contributed to the D-Day efforts. Some 2,800 pilots provided crucial aerial support and about 500 sailors served on supporting vessels during the invasion. Sadly, 13 of these Australians lost their lives on D-Day. 

By day’s end, the Allies had gained a crucial foothold in Continental Europe. The cost of lives was high: more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 troops to begin the long, hard slog across Europe towards Berlin.

The war in Europe continued until the German surrender in May 1945.

After observing a minute’s silence between stirring renditions of the “Last Post” and “The Rouse” by Mr Daniel Wooldridge, the gathering was dismissed, and the school community returned to its regular activities. 

LEST WE FORGET.

David Thiele

History Learning Leader 

Year 7 Business and Economics: Guest Speaker

Our Year 7 students were very fortunate to hear from a highly successful Entrepreneur, who runs a private Company specialising in Game creation. Dineth Abeynayake, owner and director of Foxie Ventures, is an old scholar of Endeavour who graduated in 2005. 

Leaving an important engineering role in aerospace and Defence, Dineth chose to follow his creative passions and establish his own business, designing digital games for children. Employing 30, and situated in the city, Dineth’s experiences in establishing and operating a business within a dynamic and quickly evolving industry provided great insight for students. 

He also shared meaningful advice, about following passions, taking educated risks and learning from failures. 

We are sincerely grateful for his generosity, giving up his time to share his experiences and inspiring our budding entrepreneurs.  

Kelli Delacy

Business Innovation Learning Leader