By BRIDGET COOK
ALKIRA Secondary College students have created a bond with a number of local servicemen through the writing of their biographies over the past few months.
The Year-11 VCAL students were given a task as part of Anzac Day commemorations to write a biography of a war veteran.
After months of hard work, the students presented the completed biographies back to the veterans on Friday 31 May at a ceremony with a number of special guests.
It is believed that Alkira are the first school in Victoria to record the biographies of veterans on such a large scale.
Teacher Nicole Scott said all the students were given a member of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers association (RAEME), the Cranbourne RSL, Dandenong RSL, Noble Park RSL or the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Victorian Branch to get in contact with.
“Working with this person, the VCAL students prepared questions, interviewed, emailed, corresponded, took photos and footage in order to create a history or record of this individual’s life,” she said.
“The aim was to create ongoing relationships between the older and younger generations and to share and record the rich histories of those older members of our community.
“This experience will be shared with our younger students, representatives from the Shrine of Remembrance and other members of the local community.”
The school is also constructing a memorial garden to be planted.
Members of the RSLs, the Vietnam Veterans Association of Victoria and RAEME that were a part of this project will be invited to the college for a ceremony at the garden bed at a future date.
Each researched person will have a flower or shrub planted by a student in their honour.
A plaque will be in this garden to honour the relationship of Alkira Secondary College with returned servicemen from a variety of local organisations.
