A moving Remembrance Day ceremony, commemorating the 75^th Anniversary of the end of World War II was held at St John Paul II College, Nicholls. Red crosses with written messages of love, peace, thanks and remembrance to past and present service men and women were planted on the College grounds.

“This year we wanted to engage the students in a creative way,” said Vicki Walsh, Defence Mentor at the College. “Over 1000 crosses were engraved with the names of relatives who served during World War II or the words ‘Honour Their Spirit’, ‘Lest We Forget’ and ‘Remember’.”

The crosses carried personal significance for the school community, in particular for the 110 students at the College with Defence backgrounds. Students and staff planted their crosses in a bed of poppies arranged as a cross, acknowledging the sacrifice of those who fought bravely for their country.

“I had fourteen relatives who served in World War II,” said Year 9 student, Joshua Fankhauser. “We didn’t have the dates for when they died, but most importantly we had their names to remember them by. I wrote on my cross, ‘Thank you for your service and fighting the war’,” he said.

Students and staff were encouraged to submit names and stories of their family members who served during World War II. In the four weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, some of these stories were published in the school newsletter to honour and acknowledge their spirit and bravery.

Cameron Pepper, Year 12, said that it was a great way to get the school community involved in Remembrance Day. “It was so nice to see all of the crosses and poppies at the front of the school for everyone to see as they drive past. This little reminder is so important for us to stay humble and to remember the significance of the Defence Force for our community,” he said.

Emily Burgess-Orton, Year 12, felt proud to share her family history with her school community. “One of my relatives, John Orton, served in the South African Artillery, fighting for the allies in North Africa and Italy. For me, Remembrance Day represents respect, gratitude and community,” she said.

“It was a privilege to collect our school’s families’ histories and share them with the wider community,” said Defence Mentor Vicki Walsh. “To not speak of them does a disservice to their memory and their actions. To stop speaking about them means to forget them and we should never forget,” she said.