Moama Anglican Grammar holds Anzac Day service

By Oliver Shedden

Apr 24, 2024

Commemoration: School captains Ella Bowler and Isabelle Barber, School Chaplain Rev Timothy Bowles listened as Moama RSL Sub Branch president Ken Jones speaks at the Moama Anglican Grammar Anzac Day ceremony. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Moama Anglican Grammar held its Anzac Day commemoration service on Wednesday, during which students and members of the community paid tribute to those who served and gave their life protecting the country.

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The April 24 event featured speeches by student leaders and addresses from members of the community, including words from Ken Jones, president of the Moama RSL Sub-Branch, and president of the Vietnam Veterans Association.

Four primary school leaders stood guard over the catafalque, which was set up at the front of the stage and adorned with the Australian flag.

School captains Isabella Barber and Emma Bowler ran the event, introducing the various traditional components of an Anzac Day service and introducing speakers and musical items.

School vice-captains Lucas Jettner and Riley Main led the ceremony in a Bible reading and prayer, respectively.

Deputy principal David Frazer highlighted the importance of schools hosting Anzac Day services to maintain respect and admiration for those who represented our country when it mattered most and to learn from the past.

“I think it’s really important for all schools and our school to keep commemorating Anzac Day; it is such a big part of our country’s history and identity,” he said.

“I think the phrase ‘lest we forget’ has a lot of meaning today, and we can extrapolate that to understand the ultimate sacrifice of our fellow Australians.

“It’s also a phrase we can use in everyday life; this powerful message is a springboard for realising that it is important for us to know what has happened prior so that we don’t follow the road that leads to pain or futility.

“Our students need to understand the futility of war, and ‘lest we forget’ is a big part of that phrasing.”

Together: Staff and students listened intently to the service to honour those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Mr Frazer also spoke about why students need to participate in Anzac services and what they can learn from the Anzac spirit, mentioning Mr Jones’s address as containing key principles held by the ANZACS that can be applied to everyday life.

“I think Ken Jones said it all when he talked about the three values that the ANZACS carry, which are that sense of purpose, responsibility and selflessness,” he said.

“Those, along with our school values, really resonate with our school and with the hopes and values we’d like our students to grow on and move on with as they depart into our community and represent us as Australians going forward.”

Students and staff from Moama Anglican Grammar will attend Anzac Day services across Campaspe Shire over the long weekend to lay wreaths and address the community.