Humanities  

Last week, on 25 April, Australia paused and reflected on the sacrifice of brave service men and women for our country, and for the continual service to our Nation.

Students at St John’s had the opportunity to reflect on what ANZAC Day meant to them and I invite you to read their reflections: 

I attended the Anzac Day service, where we participated in the service and marched around the park. April 25, a National Holiday, honours those who have lost their lives in conflict and acknowledging the contribution of their armed services. -Irene John 

ANZAC day is important to us because it exists to remind us of Australia’s history. ANZAC day allows us to commemorate the soldiers who died at Gallipoli and pay our respects to their sacrifice for our country. It is also a day to remember all Australians and New Zealanders who gave their lives in all wars and conflicts around the world. – Ralph Buela 

As a part of ANZAC day, we come together to celebrate the fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought for us to have a better life. We remember and appreciate their sacrifice and mourn the loss of all who lost their lives. We thank and commemorate them for their service. May they rest in peace.  – Alexis Jackson 

ANZAC day is a very special day in the Australian calendar that brings the nation together. On ANZAC day, we pay our respects to all the soldiers and troops that went out of their way to serve our country. By going to dawn services, parades and other commemorative services, Army families and non-army families alike can come together to celebrate an important part of Australian history. – Zoe Butler

I would also like to share a brief reflection by Delphinus House Captain, Kiara Di Paolo, who spoke with passion and pride during our College ANZAC Day service. Kiara will be joining the Australian Defence Force in 2025: 

“To me Anzac Day isn't about ceremonies, parades, glorifying warfare, making people 

heroes or celebration.  For me it's about commemoration. Taking the day to remember and reflect on those who gave their lives and service for our country so we can all enjoy the peace and prosperity that we live in today as Australians. Each year, on this day, Australians gather from the smallest country town to the remotest part of the country. We join in a ceremony to honour the soldiers, sailors and airmen who warred against other countries purely for their families, their homes, and our country…”

Lest We Forget.

Year 11 legal excursion:

On Wednesday 1 May 2024, the Year 11 Legal class, accompanied by Mr Swan and Ms Dias, travelled to the Supreme Court of Victoria. Our starting point was the Supreme Court library, which was founded and built in 1852. The ancient yet emblematic library included various types of law reports, statutory material and textbooks relating to law and the courts. It also had the actual judgement book that Ned Kelly’s death sentence was recorded in 1880. The most intriguing case we observed involved an individual that was associated with illegal drugs and firearms, and having committed indictable offences, he had also allegedly breached his parole. We also witnessed a case that involved 13 barristers and solicitors.

We then proceeded to go in the direction of the County Court, located directly opposite the Supreme Court. We reviewed a civil case about taxis suing Uber for taking their customers, until we soon all dispersed to enjoy lunch. Following lunch, we all rendezvoused at the Parliament House of Victoria, seated in the gallery, with the interest of viewing Question Time within the Legislative Assembly until it was time to return back to the Dandenong station. 

Overall, our outing to the Courts in Central Melbourne was greater than we anticipated, all of us that travelled desire to repeat the enjoyable experience all over again.  We learned so much from our excursion.

By Nardos Bachu MO4 & Alana Ansell AQ1