Around the College
ANZAC Pavilion
In 2018, as Australia commemorated the final year of the ANZAC Centenary, Endeavour dedicated its own unique tribute to honour the sacrifices of tens of thousands of service men and women with the formal opening of the ANZAC Pavilion on Friday 13 April. The ceremony, which occurred on a beautiful sunny morning on the final day of Term 1, included all students, staff and invited guests from local RSL Clubs, family members of our community that currently serve in the Australian Armed Forces and local representatives.
The Pavilion is highly visible and accessible. The structure was completed in 2016, with the signage affixed in 2017. Poppies, which have been etched into the Pavilion’s artwork, are symbolic of sacrifice. Anodised aluminium panel texts have been affixed to the concrete blocks to draw attention to the names of significant battles in which Australians took part during the First World War.
The building of this Pavilion would not have been possible without a generous grant awarded by the Federal Government under its ANZAC Centenary Local Grants Program. A key element of the program was for funding to be made available to communities around Australia for projects to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australians in the First World War. Mr David Thiele lodged an application on behalf of the College through our Federal Member of Parliament, the Hon. Tony Zappia. A grant of $17,408 was received in 2015 and ensured that this commemorative project got underway.
The ceremony featured a procession of students bearing the Australian, New Zealand and Aboriginal flags, the reading of 'In Flanders Field' and the ode, followed by the Last Post. The building was dedicated by Pastor Chris Mann. Mr Zappia unveiled the dedication plaque accompanied by World War II veteran Bill Corey, OAM.
Students are pleased indeed that they have a special place at the school where they can reflect on the sacrifices made by the ANZACs. As Year 12 student Yovan Arachchige observed, “The men and women who served in WWI risked life and limb for our country and for that they deserve to be honoured. I hope future students will use the Pavilion to pause and think about the legacy that the ANZACs have left us today.”
Lest we forget.
Heather Vogt
Principal
Anzac Day 2018
To help mark the final year of the Centenary of the First World War, the Semaphore-Port Adelaide RSL encouraged Adelaide schools to participate in a special commemorative activity, known as “Banners for ANZAC Day”.
Students were invited to create a banner on A3 sized calico to be displayed at the Semaphore-Port Adelaide RSL sub-branch on ANZAC Day. Thanks goes to Year 7 student Bianca Wyatt, who designed and submitted a banner on behalf of the College.
On ANZAC Day, the College Captains – Dulan Gamage, Emma Belgraver, Michael Kham and Kayla Trezona, accompanied by Mr Thiele - attended the annual dawn service at the Salisbury War Memorial. Several thousand people attended the event, including numerous veterans of past conflicts. The student leaders laid a wreath on behalf of the College in memory of all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of this nation.
The ANZAC commemorations this year were particularly poignant given that on 25 April 1918, Australian forces recaptured the French town of Villers-Bretonneux in a battle which effectively marked the end of the German offensive on the Western Front. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Coral-Balmoral where Australian soldiers fought their costliest and most sustained combat during the Vietnam War.
Lest we forget.
David Thiele
History Learning Leader
Centre Stage
On Tuesday 10 April, the Music Department hosted their first major concert of the year, Centre Stage. The night focussed on ensembles and allowed for their dedication and work throughout the term to be showcased. Most of the different Music ensembles in the school were featured during the concert with musicians ranging from Year 8 through to Year 12.
To start the night, the Year 8 Percussion Ensemble debuted on the African djembe drums, and impressively showed their skills of rhythm and musical timing. The Year 8s continued to broadcast their gifts and talents with the Year 8 Band performing next. Being an ensemble comprised of students who only started learning their instruments at the beginning of Year 7 or earlier, the Year 8 Band demonstrated amazing collaboration and teamwork by coming together and producing a sound beyond their years. It was so inspiring to see such a large number of junior students passionate and excited about music.
The Year 9 Band were next to perform as well as the String Ensemble. Comprised of two Year 12 students, the string ensemble welcomed back old scholar Gemma Mattner and together they delivered a beautiful performance. This mellow music did not last for long as the Saxophone Ensemble, made of five senior sax players, performed a unique arrangement of ‘Ghostbusters’. Old scholar, Angela Vanderklugt was welcomed back to play in the group, who are self-titled ‘Sax and the City’. Following this performance was the Year 10 Band who, having recently studied the Funk genre, played a collection of funk songs by famous musicians James Brown and Stevie Wonder. For two of their songs, Meaghan Koch stunned the crowd with her amazing singing talent and beautiful voice that topped off the performance.
The Jazz Quintet, featuring five passionate senior students who spread across horns and rhythm, delivered their first performance after forming this year. The group’s performance mainly focussed on improvisation, a fundamental component of Jazz. To finish the night was an amazing performance by the College’s Big Band. The group consisted mainly of senior Music students and featured both improvised and written solos from a range of individuals. It was a brilliant way to end Centre Stage 2018!
The array of talent displayed by Endeavour’s music students was amazing to experience and made the night so enjoyable. Each student is to be commended on their performance during the night, but also the amount of courage required to stand up before an audience and present their skills. Congratulations to all who performed and ensured Centre Stage was such a memorable night.
Jessica Priebbenow
Music Leader