BATTLE FOR AUSTRALIA CEREMONY

Lest We Forget

On the 6th of September, a group of students from Years 7-12 went to the Shrine of Remembrance for the Battle for Australia Ceremony.  The ceremony covered stories about what happened during World War 2. 

Students from various schools spoke about someone's perspective while at war; whether it was Nurse upon the Centaur or a soldier on the Kokoda Track there where many stories to tell. 

At the Ceremony the Air Force Cadets came and marched through and some soldiers did the Catafalque Party, but the best part was when one of the old fighter planes flew by.

Inside the Shrine there is a tomb with the famous quote “Greater love hath no man”. .This tomb belongs to the Unknown Soldier and at 11am the sun will shine directly on the word love. 

Going to the Battle for Australia Ceremony is a great experience and I recommend it to everyone.

Malia Durrant - Humanities Captain’s speech:

“Living in Hawthorn… I enlisted as a soldier with Hawthorn’s 39th Battalion. I hadn’t heard much about New Guinea … let alone a track in New Guinea called Kokoda … I also had no idea of the bloodshed that I’d be walking into. 

“The 39th Battalion were ordered up the Kokoda Track to stop the Japanese advance … armed with only light weapons… we engaged the enemy in fierce fighting … casualties increased ... in desperation we resorted to ‘hand-to-hand’ combat. 

“Weeks later the  39th Battalion successfully stalled the Japanese advance … Kokoda was back in Australian hands … victory on New Guinea’s Kokoda Track … was a turning point in the ‘Battle for Australia’. 

“At the end of 39th Battalion's campaign of fierce fighting in New Guinea … 1,666 men had served in its ranks. 

“When we arrived back in Australia … of the original Battalion number of 1,666 men … the muster roll was only … 32 men”.

Darcy Whitehead 8G

Kristy Mays