PRINCIPAL'S PEN 

Welcome back for Term 2.

As we returned to school  after the Easter break, the term began with a deep sense of reflection and gratitude – sentiments that were beautifully captured in our Anzac Day Assembly last week. More about that later, but first...   

Remembering Pope Francis

In the same week, the world marked the passing of Pope Francis, whose humility in life and death offered a powerful example of servant leadership. His choice of a simple wooden coffin and modest funeral echoed the very values we respect in others. He reminded us that greatness lies in humility, that love is stronger than legacy, and that even in death, one can rewrite tradition for the better.

Pope Francis’s final message rings clear: true power lies not in gold or grandeur, but in choosing to live – and die – with purpose.

The Anzac message

We are fortunate to live in a time of relative peace and prosperity. Our community has many great opportunities. During the holidays a number of our young men participated in the Marist Basketball Carnival, the Melbourne Hockey Tournament and the Fiji Immersion – events that are covered in this newsletter.

Looking ahead, we have much happening this term: yesterday's Athletics Carnival, Years 8 and 9 camps, Year 10 work experience, Champagnat Day, the Senior Formal in Week 9, not to mention quality teaching and learning and more. Much is happening in our lives for which we are grateful.

Therefore, in the midst of our busy and good lives, it is vital we pause to remember the sacrifices that have been made by those that have given so much, so that we can live the way we do today.

Anzac Day has been recognised for over 100 years. But it wasn’t always a popular commemoration, declining in popularity in the 1970s and early '80s largely due to changes in attitude towards war – around the Vietnam War – and therefore debate around nationalism at that time.

However, from 1990 onwards, there was a significant resurgence in interest and participation, especially among younger Australians. At that time, the band Midnight Oil released a song called "Forgotten Years". The key lyrics are below: 

Our shoreline was never invaded, our country was never in flames

This is the calm we breath, this is the feeling too strong to contain

We've got to remember.

Our sons will never be soldiers, our daughters will never need guns

These are the years between

These are the years that were hard fought and won.

The hardest years, the darkest years

The desperate and divided years

These should not be forgotten years.

The song is a powerful anthem about the importance of remembering the past – especially the sacrifices made during war.  

A legacy of values

Pope Francis and the Anzacs have left us with a legacy of celebrated values – humility and sacrifice. Strip away the titles and riches, and the legacy of a spiritual leader lives not in objects, but in values. Anzac Day is also about values – the values of those who served their country.

The "Forgotten Years" refers to times of suffering, war and loss that should never be forgotten. The song urges us to recognise that we now live in a relatively peaceful time, but we must realise that there is sometimes a cost to the freedom we enjoy.

As many of our young men gathered at the Esplanade cenotaph last Friday to commemorate Anzac Day at the Dawn Service, they helped to ensure that those difficult years of war and sacrifice will not be forgotten.