By Year 12 Alkira Student Jenna Hutton-Murdoch
ALKIRA Secondary College students and teachers commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on Monday 22 August.
They were joined by the president of the Dandenong-Cranbourne RSL John Wells and Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Education Team representative Ray Weston.
Some 108 young Australian and New Zealand soldiers faced 2500 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops on 18 August, 1966.
Held in the college’s rose garden and run by senior VCAL students with the assistance of teachers Nicole Scott and Leanne Venables, the ceremony featured the reflective poem ‘The Forgotten Veteran’ written and recited by Year 10 student Jake Barnard.
Mr Wells expressed his enormous happiness that the student body was so involved with the ceremony.
“Marches, memorials, medals and music are all important but what matters most is meaning – ceremonies like this carry that forward,” he said.
The ceremony was mutually enriching, with the next generation recognising their shared history and representing the spirit of the present and past servicemen and women.
“Working with the veterans and organising the ceremonies is really rewarding,” said senior VCAL student Bronwyn Trimmings.
“I’ve enjoyed collaborating with and interviewing the veterans, they have had such eye-opening experiences and I have great pride in helping their legacy to live on.”
Teacher Nicole Scott said the ceremony was an important history lesson for the students.
“These ceremonies imprint on the students, ensuring that they remember and acknowledge the contributions of the Anzacs and all servicemen and women, assuring that they propagate the same values throughout their own lives.”
Alkira Secondary College and everyone in attendance was privileged to uphold the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia motto of ‘Honour the dead, but fight like hell for the living’.
