Anzac-Borneo Scholarship

Grace Olver's Experience

Grace Olver was the recipient of the 2017 John XXIII College Anzac-Borneo Scholarship.  Now in its fifteenth year, the annual memorial tour of Borneo is dedicated to the Prisoners of War (POWS) and the local heroes who lost their lives during World War 2.

"One of the highlights of the tour is a visit to SANZAC College in Kota Kinabulu", Grace said.

 

"It is a College much like John XXIII, but built on the actual grounds of a POW camp, where many Australian and New Zealand soldiers suffered.   The students were so genuinely welcoming.  It was an eyeopener to talk to people from a completely different culture. I really enjoyed talking  to them and also seeing their ANZAC room, where they hold steady the memory of the ANZAC soldiers who fought in WWII.”

 

“The dawn service on ANZAC day was the climax of the trip.  The weather came together to provide atmosphere to the moving and service, and I don’t think a single eye was dry.  Being at the Labuan War Cemetery really made me realise the extent of the loss and suffering of war, and why nothing like it should ever be allowed to happen again. The whole ceremony was beautifully put together and made a memorable ending to the trip.”

”The Sandakan prisoner of war camp in Borneo should not be forgotten, because it was there that Australian spirit was forged and upheld.  We should all check our family trees, because there is a large possibility that you have had a family member involved in the war, which makes this legacy a part of us and is something that we cannot and must not forget,”  Grace added.

 

Grace Olver’s scholarship was proudly sponsored by the Borneo Exhibition Group, Perth.