In 2005 my family stood on the pier at Garden Island, with all the other families, and watched as the HMAS Tobruk came into dock.  She was returning from Iraq… filled with sailors and troops who had not seen their families for anything up to 12 months.  The atmosphere was somewhat surreal.  The band was playing, the media was all around with cameras, eager for that perfect shot, the Australian flag flying… an image common to families with members in the military right from that first baptism of fire at Gallipoli… however none of that mattered at that moment.  At that moment all we wanted was to see our brother, safely back on Australian soil.  We were lucky.  Within moments his face was clearly visible on the deck… and all returned to as it should be.  14 years later history was repeating itself and I stood on that same dock watching the HMAS Waramunga returning from a nine-month stint in the gulf… this time I was a mum standing with her daughter as she waited for her partner to appear… same feeling… same relief.

For many Australian families, throughout history, this was not the case.  Australian casualties in conflict number over 102,700.  All have sacrificed their life for their country.  All need to be recognised for their bravery, courage and strength and powerful sense of mateship… characteristics that typify what it is to be an Australian soldier.

Yet those characteristics are not limited to the military.  They are ingrained in the very fabric of what it is to be an Australian.  They are present in all of us.

Who really knows how they will respond when faced with adversity?  Who really knows the true extent of their inner bravery and strength?  The St Clare’s community is made up of ordinary everyday people.  However, during the course of the past 2 years I have witnessed members of our community who have been placed in extra ordinary situations and done extraordinary things.

Events have seen our community unite together to care for each other… provide support… strength… encouragement… a helping hand… mateship.

Ordinary people faced with extra ordinary situations who respond by doing extra ordinary things.

Hopefully, in the not too distant future, our lives will begin to settle and return to some sort of normalcy…  But in saying that, it does not mean that we should not aspire to continue to exhibit those characteristics attributed to ANZACS in our everyday lives.

When you volunteer to help someone less fortunate than you… their spirit lives on.

When you challenge an aspect of society that is unjust… their spirit lives on.  When you sit with your mates… in their most difficult times… their spirit lives on…

When you celebrate all that is good in your life… their spirit lives on….

When you face your greatest fears, no matter what they are, and bravely overcome them… their spirit lives on.

So as we take the time to reflect and remember the many who made that ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in conflicts to protect our country, let us also be grateful and proud of the legacy they have left behind… and continually aspire to be like the ANZACs and be the best people that we can be.

Marian Parvin
Modern History Teacher