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Lest We Forget ����AV

It has been 102 years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front. Across the School, we commemorated Remembrance Day, remembering those who gave their lives for our freedom.

As Dr Scott said in our special Remembrance Day Assembly that was livestreamed from the Independent Theatre this week, it’s important that we continue to remember the enormous sacrifice of those who died or suffered for Australia's cause in all wars and armed conflicts, as well as those who have served or are currently serving. We often take for granted our freedom and our right to participate in cultural and political life. But the Australians who went to war in distant lands did so because they believed that the values and freedoms we cherish today were under threat. By remembering their service and sacrifice, we are acknowledging the tradition of freedom these men and women fought so hard to preserve.

����AV Cadets mounted a Catalfaque party, with our Cadets facing outward from the stage, their heads bowed as a symbolic form of respect for the fallen.

Imogen (Year 11) gave the Acknowledgement of Country and Tessa (Year 8) gave A Prayer of Remembrance and Peace. Caroline (Year 11) then gave the student address.

She said, “Today, we are gathered in memory of those who served in all wars and armed conflicts. With 2020 marking 102 years since the end of WWI, and 75 years since the end of WW2, today I would like to share a brief history of the events that took place.

On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. With their armies retreating and close to collapse, German leaders signed an Armistice, bringing an end to the First World War. Australia was involved in acts of war in Rabaul, New Guinea and neighbouring islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. Australians fought in the battles across the Western Front, Middle East and at Gallipoli.

At around 4:30am on 25 April 1915, the first soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed in the Ari Burnu area on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On the same morning, soldiers from Britain, France and their colonies launched assaults at nearby Cape Helles and Kum Kale. At the time, the Allied forces wanted to destroy the Turkish forts overlooking the Dardanelles so their ships could enter the Sea of Mamara and bombard Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire. They hoped this would force Turkey’s surrender, ease pressure on Russia and deprive Germany of a major ally. Historians estimate that 2000 Australians were killed or wounded on 25 April 1915. The whole Gallipoli operation, however, cost 26,111 Australian casualties, including 8,141 deaths. In the four years of the war, more than 330,000 Australians had served overseas, and more than 60,000 of them had died.

The social effects of these losses cast a long shadow over the post-war decades. We would also like to remember all those who contributed on the home front, supplying material and moral support to the Australians serving in the war effort. We reflect on the families, including ����AV families, who cared for their loved ones who returned home with injuries, and prepared special packs which were sent overseas. Additionally, more than 3000 nurses served Australia during World War 1. They too experienced terrible conditions, and 25 lost their lives.

The instability created in Europe by the First World War (1914-18) set the stage for another international conflict, World War II, which broke out two decades later. Almost a million Australians served in uniform during the war, in campaigns in Europe, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Some 39,000 had lost their lives and more than 30,000 had been prisoners of war. On the morning of 15 August 1945, men and soldiers of the Royal Australian Air Force crowded around a radio on Labuan Island, North Borneo, to hear official word of Japan’s surrender and the end of the Second World War.

75 years later, we are gathered in memory of those who served and died for their country in World War 2. In addition, we must also remember those who fought after, in Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and in recent conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq, as today is a day of memorial of all to remember all those who have served in Australia’s armed forces.

As a community, we must continue to reflect on the events of the past that pathed the way for us to be here today. As a symbol of remembrance, a wreath will now be layed to commemorate and pay tribute to those who have served our country in the war effort.”

After Caroline finished her address, the Cadets laid a wreath on the table. Amelia (Year 10) gave the Ode to Remembrance before Ava (Year 8) played The Last Post. 

The School then observed a minute’s silence before Ava played The Rouse and Nina (Year 8) sang the National Anthem.

At the end of Assembly, our Cadets marched solemnly to the Cenotaph at St Leonards Park where they laid a wreath.

The symbolic significance of the poppy was brought to life by the Junior School this week. In the garden outside Woodstock, a field of handmade poppies bloomed. It was incredibly moving to see the garden flourishing in all its crimson glory, a powerful symbol of the bright red poppies that flourished on Flanders fields, signalling hope amid the devastation and chaos. As John McCrae wrote: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow; Between the crosses, row on row”.

Junior School also observed a minute’s silence in their Assembly, with the playing of the Last Post and The Rouse by Camilla on the Saxophone.

A huge thank you to the History Department for all their hard work in preparing this week's Assembly, to our Cadets, and to our Junior School staff who highlighted the significance of Remembrance Day to girls through their work in the Junior School. 

The tradition of remembrance is important at ����AV. As Homer wrote of a dying soldier in The Odyssey, “Remember me. Remember me. Heap my mound by the churning grey surf. So even men to come will learn my story.”

Lest we forget.