Deputy Principal

Remembrance Day

Last week at the College Assembly, we were able to pay our respects to those men and women who have gone before us and fought for our country; it enables us to live a safe and peaceful life in a democratic country. Several years ago, while travelling overseas, I took the opportunity to visit Gallipoli. If you have been there then you know that the pictures that we see in our history books do not do it justice. As our soldiers arrived on the shores of Gallipoli, they faced the insurmountable task of trying to scale some of the steepest cliffs that you will ever see. The Turkish soldiers picked them off one-by-one. The graves of the men who lost their lives there tell a story of how young men from Australia, halfway around the world, signed up to serve their country as they believed in the cause. It is a reflective experience when you stand in front of the grave of a 14-year-old boy who lied about his age so as he could go and fight overseas to protect our country. 

I also spoke to the students about the grave of the ‘unknown soldier,’ which lies in the War Memorial. This grave signifies all those young men and women who have fought for our country whose remains have never been formally identified. We pay our respects to all of those who have fought and continue to fight for our protection. Our students were blessed to hear from Ms. Armanno, formally Corporal Armanno, who addressed our students, and we are truly thankful for not only her address but her service.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal

Remembrance Day Speech

By: Ms Janika Armanno

Good morning to Mr Byrne, Official Party, Colleagues and Boys,

August 1914, the world stood on the brink of a conflict that would redefine humanity's understanding of destruction. Few foresaw the harrowing path it would carve, or the toll on the global stage.

Over 400,000 Australians rallied and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force to contribute to the war effort. 330,000 ventured beyond our shores, finding themselves in places like Gallipoli or the tumultuous Western Front in France and Belgium.

The cost was profound. More than 60,000 Australians paid the ultimate sacrifice and over 10 million military personnel lost their lives in what would later be known as the Great War. The echoes of this colossal loss reverberated through families and communities and transcended borders.

As the guns fell silent on November 11, 1918, the hostilities concluded. Although there were celebrations in the victorious nations, they were tinged with grief and sorrow. Across the British Empire, this anniversary became synonymous with Remembrance Day. Since 1919, and every year thereafter, at 11 am on November 11, people worldwide have collectively paused to honour and remember the fallen.

In the aftermath of such loss and devastation, there emerged a collective hope, even an audacious imagination, that the Great War might be the world's last conflict, or the 'war to end war.' As we all know, reality had other plans.

After the Second World War, November 11 evolved into Remembrance Day. Let us reflect not only on the sacrifices made by Australia but also of nations worldwide. May this moment serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring price paid through more than a century of conflict and strife that followed the First World War.

In a moment I will ask you to stand, listen to the ode and complete a minute’s silence.

Before I ask you to stand as a school united to commemorate the fallen in a minute's silence. Before you think to turn to the person next to you and utter a word or a comment of any sort, I ask you to reflect and remember those fallen, for your minute of silence might seem long and insignificant, but to those men and boys as young as 14 a minute may have felt like a lifetime. A minute of waiting for the next sharp crack or whizzing bullet, a minute of watching their best mate stop breathing, a minute of waiting for the next order to advance and attack the enemy. A minute for you is nothing, but a minute for these men could mean the difference between life and death. So with this in mind, I ask you to stand in complete silence and listen to the ode.

They shall not grow 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.

Lest We Forget.