Premier's ANZAC Student Tour 2015
As the nation prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli in 2015, one student has taken a personal connection with the ANZACs to create a remarkable essay.
Bailey Vanderzanden (Year 10, Ferguson) submitted his essay in The Premier's ANZAC Student Tour competition earlier this year. The competition is open annually to students in Years 8-11. The tour is an opportunity for outstanding young ambassadors to represent Western Australia on a history and commemorative study tour overseas.
It was announced that Bailey was successful in being selected for the Premier's ANZAC Student Tour in 2015 to Gallipoli in a ceremony conducted by the Premier and Minister for Education on 10 November. Bailey was one of only thirty-two candidates selected to attend the Student Tour from a pool of over 1000 applicants.
This excerpt demonstrates the powerful connection Bailey has with the ANZAC legend, with both of his Great, Great Grandfathers engaging in combat in World War One.
'My Great, Great Grandfathers' legacy is a quiet one. They received no awards. They don't have their name on the Roll of Honour. They're not mentioned in any museum, nor are their names on the stone obelisk in the middle of the country town they lived in for the rest of their lives. Their legacy was to quietly get on with it. They simply melted back into Western Australian society, married, had children, farmed the land and lived into their 70s. They did not live in anger nor let their experiences in the war prevent them from making a positive contribution to Western Australia. They now both rest in a small country cemetery that overlooks a rolling valley. It is a quiet, peaceful place; well deserved.'
The tour travels to Turkey from 16 - 26 April 2015 with the highlight being attendance at the centenary ANZAC Day dawn service.
Congratulations to Bailey on taking the initiative to enter this competition. I am sure that his Great, Great Grandfathers would be immensely proud of him, as indeed the Scotch College community is proud of his actions.
For more information the tour website link is - http://www.det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/anzac/detcms/portal/
Mr Peter Allen
Director of Teaching and Learning
