Callaghan College Waratah Campus

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Emailwaratah-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Honouring the ANZAC Legacy

Photo of students standing at ANZAC Assembly

This week we commemorated Anzac Day at a school ANZAC assembly. Ms Macdonald addressed the assembly, sharing about the history and significance of this day:

"2000 young Australians were killed or wounded on 25 April 1916. Anzac Day has been one of the most important dates on Australia's calendar since then. At first, it gave people a chance to honour the original Anzacs – the Australians and New Zealanders who fought on the shores of Gallipoli. Afterwards it became a day for all those who had served in the First World War. With Australians then experiencing the Second World War, and wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations that have followed, Anzac Day has become an occasion to honour all who have worn our country's uniform in service. Today, we reflect on that service. We recognise more than a hundred thousand Australian service men and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our country's name. And in the memory of these service men and women, we honour the values of the original Anzacs – loyalty, selflessness, courage.

Monday was the 107th anniversary of the landing of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli and when we think about the loyalty, selflessness and courage of the young men who landed at Gallipoli, I think we can safely say that ANZAC day is a day for all Australians to come together, regardless of religion, racial background or even place of birth. It is a day to commemorate the bravery and self-sacrifice of the past. It is a day to acknowledge the selflessness of all those who have been prepared to lay down their lives for Australia, so that it can be a place of freedom and peace for all of us today.

ANZAC day is a day to honour the men and women who worked, fought, loved and lived during the years of many wars, across many generations. It is a time to remember and grieve for someone in your family or your community who gave their life whilst in service. It is a time to be thankful that we are still a country that lives in peace.

It is a time to say “Lest we forget”.

Thank you to all those who gave their time to help us recognise this important day.