SA Premier's Anzac Spirit School Prize

  The best way to have concluded the best trip  by Ned Uren   Anzac Day away in Darwin felt like the best way we could have concluded our trip. A day centred on commemoration, sacrifice, respect felt so special while being on the Anzac Spirit School Prize study tour. As the trip begun in Darwin talking about the bombing of Darwin and the Territories strong military involvement, I had learnt that the city of Darwin’s character was built on the foundations of actions by the brave people of Darwin during the bombing and throughout. Hearing stories of the soldiers brave enough to man anti-aircraft guns with nothing more than a towel to clothe them or the brave actions by the hospital ship the Manunda. These stories all came to life for me on the morning of the 25 th of April. The dawn service as highlighted in the photo above was an extremely powerful service that made me feel almost indebted to those who have served for our country. As the Dawn Service continued and the s...

  Best Friends who I now called my new family - by Olivia Brook The first night at Stokes Hill Wharf was one of the most significant memories for me. During my research of nurse, Margaret Augusta De Mestre, I was able to find the approximate location where the hospital ship Manunda was moored from Stokes Hill Wharf. This is where Margaret unfortunately lost her life during the Bombing of Darwin. This first night was so special to me as I looked out over Darwin Harbour, seeing the stunning sunset and visualising Margaret’s story.   I imagined the Manunda peacefully moored to the southwest around 2.5 km off Stokes Hill Wharf and then coming under fire on that terrible day. With a heavy heart, I felt for Margaret and the crew members who lost their lives, sacrificing everything to keep our country safe and heal the wounded. I was looked out onto the Harbour with compassion and sadness, then I turned my head to see the long table, filled with a group of special people tha...

My Favourite night – By Emily McPherson It was around day 5 when I had one of the best moments on the trip. We had just spent more than a few hours on the bus together when we arrived in Katherine. Everyone was exhausted by this point and we had a couple hours before dinner so we all went back to our rooms to shower and relax. Some of us called our parents to give them the daily run down of our day, others of us had showers. Slowly, a few girls at a time started making their way into Sahib and Amelie and my room. We started by talking about some really deep topics, but the more people who came into our room, the sillier the topics became and the louder the room got. Right before dinner when most of the girls had found our room, we were cracking each other up by telling childhood stories and struggling to hear because other’s conversations were so loud. Now, after that night, I can tell you things from some of the girls’ childhoods that are personal and hilarious and that I would pro...

I sat at his memorial and read his story to him  by Lara Braithwaite Prior to entering the ANZAC Spirit, despite my love for war history, I never felt a true emotional connection to the people I was learning about. It wasn’t until I began researching my great-grandpa Bill that I realised although these events took place decades ago, they still bare grief today. My great grandpa did return home from war, but it would later take him from his wife and 2 children who believed he never healed from his wounds. The family, that would later become mine, have lived their whole lives without their father/husband. This is where I began to feel the true affects of war. Although, weeks before we left for Darwin as I was researching Eric Pollard, I felt the same as before the competition. I felt as if I was just reading a story, it didn’t feel real. Until day 4 of the trip when we visited Adelaide River War Cemetery. Eric’s name is placed on a plaque in the centre of the cemetery, along with...

Th is lady I had been researching, was a real person   by Annabel Geater-Johnson Being at Adelaide River War Cemetery was a significant and emotional moment for me. Whilst we were at the Adelaide River War Cemetery, I sat at Emily Florence Young's grave to thank her for her bravery and sacrifice. Being at the grave was a moment of realisation that this lady I had been researching, was a real person and so where all the other people who were killed. It made me emotional thinking how scared she must have been seeing and hearing the 188 Japanese aircraft heading towards Darwin. I was terrified when watching the virtual reality experience at the Royal Flying Doctors Museum and to think that was reality for so many people was heart-breaking. Walking around the graves was an eye-opening experience. Reading the ages and messages on the plaques was incredibly sad. There were plaques for people as young as 16 which was so surreal to me considering that is around my age. I couldn’t help but ...

  If I was in Darwin on the 19th of February 1942 by Charlotte Lockwood Throughout the trip I would think of questions as to if I was in Darwin on the 19th of February 1942. How I would have felt if I were there? How would I have felt if I were on the Neptuna as I was getting bombed? How would I have felt if I saw the enemy planes flying over and bombs falling from the sky? How would I have felt if one of my family members was lost in the bombing? On the final night, we went to the gun from the Peary and looked out over the harbour. This moment had a large impact on me because it signified how much we had learnt on the trip. On the first day, we did the same thing stood at the gun and looked over the harbour, but it wasn’t very impacting because we didn’t know much. That final night looking out I was able to answer so many of the questions I had thought to myself throughout. How would I have felt if I was there? I would have been terrified. Seeing the bombs falling, shrapnel fl...

  Friendship by Aston Joshy Friendship. From the day I got to the airport and saw all the other 19 faces I knew the butterflies in my stomach would never fly away. I was scared to be honest and the fact that I was going to live with them for the next ten days made me feel worse. I said goodbye to my parents and started talking to the first boy I saw; it was pretty awkward, and I couldn’t talk about anything we had in common. We got on the plane and turbulence hit like crazy along with a squeal form my throat that cracked up the two other kids laughing beside me. Finally, we had something in common and that was our laughter. That was the moment that I started talking to everyone else. We were all so different, but I guess that’s what brought us together. Sharing bus rides for several hours, to everyone sipping off the one slushy I bought, to jumping in the river and commemorating the ANZAC soldiers at the harbour together. The friendship that I made on this trip; meeting all these a...