Year 6 News

From Elizabeth, Year 6 teacher

Anzac Day Memorial 

On Wednesday the 26th of May, NMPS held a special Anzac Day Assembly. We were so lucky to be joined by Brigadier Bob Slater. Mr Slater is the Grandfather of Nimmy (6A) and Jasper (3C) at our school and was very kind to come out and share some stories. 

The School Leaders (Viana, Harshul, Beau, Ava and Abodi) were honoured to meet with Mr Slater and share this assembly with him. They all did a fantastic job at ensuring this occasion was respectful and dignified. 

Mr Slater told the stories of two past students at North Melbourne Primary School, selected at random, Theodore and Paul Kleeberger. This is the story he shared: 

They lived with their widowed mother Mary at 75 Dryburgh St, near the intersection of Victoria St. Their house is no longer there, replaced by an apartment block. 

All around Australia men were encouraged to volunteer their services. The 6th Battalion was raised in Melbourne with over a thousand men volunteering by the end of August including Theodore Kleeberger (a blacksmith aged 21) on 22 August and Paul (a blacksmith's striker aged 19) on 25 August). Theodore joined D Coy and Paul C Coy.

After a little training they embarked on the transport ship Hororata that sailed in early October to join other ships from Vic, Qld, NSW, Tasmania and NZ in Albany, WA. On 1st November the convoy of 36 ships and 3 escorts left Albany and were soon joined by two other transport ships from Fremantle containing troops from SA and WA.

They sailed to Egypt where they did more training, then embarked for Gallipoli.

Just imagine, as if it were last Monday at this hour, 108 years ago Theodore and Paul would have been nearing the Gallipoli Peninsula, excited about their great adventure.

On ANZAC Day morning, those who attended the Dawn Service could reflect that exactly 108 years ago Theodore and Paul would have been in lifeboats rowing ashore at ANZAC Cove in the second wave.

Both became badly wounded.

Paul received gunshot wounds in both legs, was hospitalised, then went back to fight. He took part in many of the battles at Gallipoli, then after the evacuation he went to France where he fought at the Somme, Pozieres and Menin Gate, and was wounded again three times. Paul returned to Melbourne in 1918, married, and lived until the1960s. Theodore received gunshot wounds in the neck at Gallipoli on 25 April, then later was critically injured when a grenade blew up in his hands. He was evacuated to Malta where he died on 18 August 2015 of septicemia.

Every name on the school Honour Board has a story.

We are so grateful that we were able to have Mr Slater as our guest speaker. 

Lest We Forget