HUMANITIES

Battle for Australia Ceremony Excursion

On Wednesday 5 September, Lilydale High School students attended the Battle for Australia Ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Lotus Fakatava (Year 12) spoke at the event, relating the experiences of soldiers landing at Buna and Gona in New Guinea.

Lochie Large (Year 12) and James Peacock (Year 12) laid a wreath on behalf of the students and staff.

The Battle for Australia Ceremony commemorates the service and sacrifice of all those who served in defence of Australia in 1942 and 1943 when we faced the gravest threats to our nation.

This national day of observance, provides recognition and greater community awareness of the contribution to Australia’s freedom and democracy of those who fought in the Battle for Australia.

There were direct attacks on the Australian mainland, particularly in Darwin, and battles in the Coral Sea and Papua and New Guinea, including Milne Bay and the Kokoda Track.

Prime Minister John Curtin,  announced the Battle for Australia when Singapore fell on 15 February 1942. However, the veteran community has chosen the first Wednesday in September as it represents the first defeat of Japanese forces on land in the Battle of Milne Bay.

Kristy Mays