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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-04 Daily Xml
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PREMIER'S ANZAC SPIRIT SCHOOL PRIZE

Ms FOX (Bright) (14:16): Can the Minister for Education provide information on the Premier's ANZAC School Prize?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:17): I thank the member for Bright for her question. I know she has taken a personal interest in the history teaching that occurs in our curriculum across our schools and is particularly enthusiastic about students knowing about our war history and our involvement in world wars.

Certainly, I have to say the Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize has been innovative and popular. It is one of the few prizes around Australia that involves more than just a trip and a few concerts but actually involves very serious research and involvement with historians, going to special sites around Europe to commemorate the ANZAC spirit and remind students of the sacrifice of their forebears, sometimes their grandparents and often individuals who lived in their communities.

The system works in that the government sponsors two-week study tours to Europe, and that requires the students' making application to make a submission describing the individual they want to research and follow. The prize aims to connect young South Australians with the ANZAC spirit and allow them to retrace the steps of a fallen South Australian soldier as part of their study tour.

It is an extraordinary opportunity for young people not only to do research but to be involved in history and learn more about the sacrifices that Australians have made. We are now inviting year 9 and year 10 students to apply for the 2010 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize. This prize will involve students writing a submission about their chosen soldier and five of them will have the opportunity to visit historic sites in both the British and French capitals as well as World War I battlefields in Belgium and France.

They will attend the ANZAC Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux and will be accompanied by trained historians who will explain the sites and significance of the battlefields. As ever, we will have two South Australian teachers selected to accompany the students, and that gives them the opportunity to continue teaching into the future, help the students and encourage them to appreciate this history as well.

The entries can be in a range of formats. They might be in a video, an essay or an artistic presentation. The entries close on 25 September 2009 with the recipients of the awards being announced on Remembrance Day this year. The Premier's ANZAC School Prize is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, having met students who have been involved in this project, I have to say that, unanimously, they are deeply moved. They say it is a life-changing experience and it certainly gives them an insight into what happened to young men who were often little older than they were when they make the trip. The friendships made during these trips are extraordinary.

When I was in France, I was deeply moved by a historian from the Imperial War Museum when he said to me that South Australia should be proud of these young people because of their good behaviour, their camaraderie, their instincts and their good spirits. I was very proud of all of the students that I met on these tours.

I encourage members to get behind this project. Make sure your local high schools know about it, and encourage students you know. I know that the member for Light has been particularly successful in promoting this award, and I have met several students who have said that they applied for this award because of his encouragement. They have gone back and given presentations to their community about their experiences. So, I commend this project to all members. For those interested, the website is www.decs.sa.gov.au/anzacschoolprize. It is a great opportunity for young South Australians.

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