Anzac Day

Senior Primary Legacy ANZAC Commemoration Student Service

For the very first time, MECS was able to join 3000 other students in Victoria and attend the Legacy ANZAC Commemoration Service for students. Usually, this day falls during our break, so it was an exciting opportunity to experience. Along with the ceremony, the students were able to tour the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne’s own beautiful memorial to our servicemen and women.

I am standing in the middle of hundreds of medals, all hanging on the walls, all different colours and sizes. I turn around and see a wall full of more medals, but these are named. One was called, ‘The King’s South Africa Medal.’ A couple of medals had huge shiny rhinestones embedded in gold plates. At the Shrine, there are over 4000 medals displayed that have been donated from different soldiers around Australia, and I think how noble they are, risking their lives for the freedom and safety of everyone around me. They were cold, wet, and hungry, but they did it anyway, they did it for us.

Annabelle Bester

I smelt the smoke flowing out of the fire. We all ran over to get a peek at the Eternal Flame. As I look at the blaze, I wonder to myself what it would be like to be a soldier. I would try my best and hope for it to end. I come up from where I’m sitting and walk over to a statue. It looks like he is running away. He’s wearing a tarp and oversized boots. Mrs Carlson explains he is a solider who drove the horses. I can’t imagine being in the war, cold, hungry, tired, and scared. After that, I start feeling a lot more thankful.

Seth Nyhouse

The Ode

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.