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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-26 Daily Xml
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PREMIER'S ANZAC SPIRIT SCHOOL PRIZE

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (14:12): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier tell members about the 2009 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize, the visit to Adelaide by Trooper Mark Donaldson VC and the exhibition With Courage and Humanity.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:12): I was delighted to meet the winners of the 2009 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize as well as Trooper Mark Donaldson VC at a reception hosted by His Excellency the Governor on 11 March.

The Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize, funded by the state government, has been conducted in South Australia since 2007 and is a student competition involving year 9 and 10 students in South Australian schools. This initiative was developed by the state government in an effort to encourage young South Australians to understand, connect with and maintain the ANZAC spirit made famous by our diggers during the Great War of 1914-18. I am pleased to advise members that, in 2009, 53 entries were received, compared to 31 entries in 2008.

Six South Australian school students were selected for a trip of a lifetime. They are Justin Clarke from Booleroo Centre District School; Melissa Crawley from Aberfoyle Park High School; Alice Dawkins from Loreto College; Joel Grieger from Swan Reach Area School; Matthew Leigh from Loxton High School; and Jessie Lewcock from St Peter's Collegiate Girls School. These impressive young people showed outstanding knowledge of and passion for the ANZAC history, its tradition and its meaning. Their thoughtfulness and personal qualities make them excellent ambassadors for our state to further champion the ANZAC spirit.

Accompanied by the President of the RSL in South Australia, Mr Jock Statton, and teachers Tess McKeough from St Mark's College in Port Pirie and Gabriele Trobbiani from Aberfoyle Park High School, they will visit the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park, the Imperial War Museum, Churchill's bunker and war cabinet rooms, and other London landmarks. They will travel from Dover to Calais by ferry, just like our own soldiers would have done so many years ago, leaving England by boat from France.

In Ypres in Belgium (which my grandfather who served there referred to as 'Wipers') they will be joined by His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce and Mrs Scarce. In this ancient town of Flanders, they will participate in the Menin Gate Commemorative Service. This service is held every night of the year, without exception.

After visiting Paris and landmarks of interest, the party will stay in Amiens in regional France to continue the research on the soldier on whom the students based their application. They will learn of their soldier's last battle and last day, and eventually reach their soldier's gravesite where they will deliver a prepared presentation to the tour group. Later, they will meet up with the Western Australian ANZAC study group to compare experiences and mateship.

I should say that the idea of this ANZAC study group originally came from former Western Australian premier Geoff Gallop. I think it is a brilliant idea, and I think both I and the Minister for Education were deeply moved to have met last year's recipients who had gone there, with experiences that changed their lives. I know that the member for Stuart visited the battlefields last November, representing all of us at the 90th commemoration of the end of World War I, and I am sure he would agree with me that this is a valuable experience for these kids.

In Dernancourt they will commemorate the fallen South Australian, Australian and French soldiers at the Adelaide Cemetery. And finally, at Villers-Bretonneux on ANZAC Day, they will attend and participate in the sacred ceremony, the ANZAC Day Dawn Service, at the Australian War Memorial. I know that the Mayor of Dernancourt is coming here shortly, and I know that he is known to both the member for Stuart and the Minister for Education.

As I mentioned previously, also present at the reception hosted by the Governor for the students was Trooper Mark Gregor Donaldson VC from the Australian Army. Trooper Donaldson had been awarded the highest military decoration for valour in the face of the enemy. He is the first Australian to have won a Victoria Cross in the past 40-odd years, since Keith Payne won a Victoria Cross in Vietnam.

I am advised that on 2 September 2008, during Operation SLIPPER in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, Trooper Donaldson's combined Afghan, US and Australian vehicle convoy was ambushed by the enemy. As a result of facing sustained machine-gun fire and rocket propelled grenades, the patrol suffered many casualties. Trooper Donaldson deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention to himself so that wounded soldiers could be moved to safety.

Realising that an Afghan interpreter had been wounded, Trooper Donaldson moved alone, on foot, across 80 metres of exposed ground to recover the interpreter and return him to the vehicles where he administered first aid. Following that, Trooper Donaldson continued to engage the enemy whilst administering first aid to the wounded. Only three soldiers involved in the battle escaped serious injury. Trooper Donaldson was one of them. Trooper Donaldson remains posted to the Special Air Service Regiment in Perth Western Australia.

We all too well understand the risk and the danger our brave defence personnel face every day in Afghanistan. The loss of 10 of our fellow Australians and the serious injury to others immensely saddens our community. Our past and present servicemen and women, especially those who have served in conflicts abroad, deserve our deepest respect. Incidentally, the soldier researched by student Matthew Leigh on this next trip was Corporal Lawrence Carthage Weathers, also a recipient of the Victoria Cross.

I would like to say that we were very pleased recently—and I know that the Deputy Premier was involved in this—to see the Burke and Wills breastplate and Major Peter Badcoe's Victoria Cross. The South Australian government purchased the Badcoe Victoria Cross jointly with philanthropist and businessman Kerry Stokes at a total cost of $488,000. A whole group of South Australian towns will see the exhibition, including Berri, Bordertown, Ceduna, Clare, Kingscote, as well as Broken Hill in New South Wales, Kingston, Mount Gambier, Peterborough, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Tailem Bend, Two Wells, Victor Harbor and Wudinna. The exhibition will open in Port Pirie on ANZAC Day and will conclude in May.

Early this month I announced that the new $118 million South Road underpass will be named the Gallipoli Underpass in recognition of the ANZAC tradition. This naming will further reinforce and promote Anzac Highway's historic links with our state's brave service men and women. We hope our young people will continue to go on these scholarships, and I am sure it will enrich and change their lives and they will be great young ambassadors for the ANZAC tradition.

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