The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
REMEMBRANCE DAY REFLECTION SECONDARY STUDENTS & STAFF On Saturday the 11 th of November we were encouraged to pause at 11.00am, take a break from our busy weekends to reflect on the sacrifices that so many Australians have made in the global conflicts throughout the 20 th century and the beginning of the 21st, we also acknowledged the thousands of Australians who are serving overseas as we speak. 11 am on the 11 th of November 1918 was the time that the guns of the Western Front in World War 1 finally fell silent. 60,000 Australian Soldiers would never come home from that conflict, most of them lie there still in cemeteries or in unmarked graves scattered across the French and Belgian countryside. Those who did come back did so with horrific scars, both physical and mental. Unfortunately WW1 would not be “ The War to End All Wars ” as people at the time had hoped. Just over 20 years later the world would be plunged into an even more catastrophic war. Another 40,000 Australians who fought in the Second World War and would never again see home. Australian Soldiers would go on to fight in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and lead peace keeping operations in East Timor and many other conflict zones around the world.
We also acknowledge the enormous efforts of nurses, support staff and families who were left behind in times of war.
This year, the Department of Veteran ’ s Affairs wishes to specifically acknowledge the 287,000 young Australians who were called up for compulsory military service between 1951 - 1972. 212 of these young men died while on active service. This is still very much in living memory. Remembrance Day has become a day where we pause, reflect and acknowledge Australian Service Personnel who have fought, flown, sailed or saved people in the line of duty. So, if you didn ’ t this year, next year we ask that people pause , buy a poppy and take a moment to reflect on how we got here. One minute of silence isn ’ t a lot to ask.
Lest We Forget
If you are interested there a few links below to explore this topic further:
• The National Archives have spent years digitising War Records from the 1 st and 2 nd World War. You may want to research someone and see what their experience was like: https:// recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx
• Interview with Sgt. Ted Smout from 2002 . Sgt. Smout was one of the last Australian WW1 Veterans: https://australiansatwarfilmarchive.unsw.edu.au/archive/1145 - edward - smout
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker