By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
AUSTRALIA’S servicemen will never be forgotten at Alkira Secondary College.
This month students and staff from the Cranbourne North high school paid their respects to Australia’s fallen soldiers when they officially opened a memorial garden on the school’s grounds.
The garden was funded through a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs and designed by the school’s 2014 and 2015 senior VCAL students.
A number of special guests attended the unveiling, including Cranbourne-Dandenong RSL president John Wells, Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) association president Michael Newbond, Vietnam veterans education team member Rob Lowe, and Casey councillor Mick Morland.
Students Cath Yasin and Jordan Creely spoke to the crowd about the many hours spent preparing the special garden.
“This memorial garden is a project that the Year 12 Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students of 2014 have spent many hours planning and creating, to remember those who served for our peace and humanity, the fallen, the casualities of war and those who still currently serve our country,” Cath said.
“The Year 12 VCAL students of 2015 spent many hours ordering supplies for and building this garden for these same reasons.”
It was reiterated at the opening how people from the Cranbourne area had supported the nation in times of conflict, with over 100 soldiers estimated to have enlisted from the region in World War I.
The students went on to say the garden, which is a tribute to soldiers from all eras, was not only set up to remember and thank servicemen for their time, but also helped bring the students closer together.
“They have made our final years of schooling memorable as well as developing long-lasting memories that we will remember for many years,” Cath said.
“This is another reason why this memorial garden will be built – so that we will always have a place to remember them.”
Alkira also presented their Vietnam veterans film presentations, called the ‘When We Remember’ film project on the same day.
The senior VCAL students worked in small groups to create seven films of veterans from the Vietnam war.
The students filmed the veterans at Alkira Secondary College, the Shrine of Remembrance and the Vietnam Veterans Museum at Phillip Island.
One of the veterans, Phil White OAM, passed away in April and his film was shown today to his widow and daughter – the last footage taken of the honourable man.
