ANZAC Day  

On Anzac Day our students and staff participated in ceremonies across the local area.

Given our role in the Alfredton community and with the Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour, our students played a key role at the Arch/Avenue service at 8.00am.

This service remembered the Avenue’s youngest soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.  In order to enlist, young men needed to be at least 18 years of age but it is well known that many overstated their age in order to join up. Recent research has identified 20 soldiers aged 18 or younger who made the supreme sacrifice in World War 1. The youngest of these was 16 year old Harold Bell who served under the name of Harold Wickham. He was wounded in the famous charge at Beersheba and died of his wounds on the following day, November 1st 1917. Kenneth McNamee was just 15 when he enlisted, but his gallantry as a company runner at Pozieres in 1916 earned for him a Military Medal. He was killed at Bullecourt in April 1917 aged just 17.

Two of our year 12 student leaders - Michael Fellows and Constance Sargeant - read the names of the soldiers as part of the service and laid a wreath on the school's behalf.  The boy soldiers remembered were Harold Bell (Wickham), Albert Boyce, Edward Brownfield, Will Campbell, Frederick Clotz, Thomas Copperwaite, James Daly, James Eady, William Edmends, Arthur Grigsby, Robert Laverick, Ernest McLeod, Kenneth McNamee, Walter Monteith, Reginald Mounsey, Dave Powell, Henry Stevens, Sydney Wade, Joseph Webb and Leslie Worthington.

Two other students played a role in the ceremony with Charlie Hann reading a poem and Miranda Hann assisting Michael and Constance in laying the wreath. 

Our students spoke with the poise and sensitivity appropriate to the occasion. Thank you to Constance, Michael, Miranda and Charlie for representing BHS and helping our local community to commemorate this important day.

The Arch will host another ceremony on Mother's Day, commemorating the role of the Grieving Mother.