Our ANZAC Service

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Our ANZAC service is a poignant opportunity for our school community to come together in remembrance and recognition of the great price of war.  The sacrifice of Old Boy's is recalled and in prayer and devotion we reiterate our hope for peace and human relations marked with respect and compassion.

Rituals like the reading of the names of the fallen, the presentation of the wreath, the playing of the last post followed by silence, and the placing of poppies amidst the crosses, all contribute to the important experience of a service where grave matters are navigated with reverence and sensitivity.

This year we were privileged to have Rev. Ed Masters speak to us about his grandfather's sword—a sword brought back from the war in Japan.  Rev. Masters went on to compare the human fascination with making weapons with the danger of losing sight of the humanity of those we believe oppose us.  Our reading from Isaiah 2:4 depicts the ultimate hope for the world when it says, 

"He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more."

Humankind must recognise the God-given dignity of all people.

With concluded with the following prayer:

God of our Mothers and Fathers, we pray for the peace of the world.  We especially entrust to your mercy the homeless and refugees; and at all times those who have been dispossessed through war; those whose lives and families have been disrupted; and who mourn the loss of loved ones.  We pray for countries who are war-torn even today.  May sanity return and selflessness win through wherever there is warfare.  We ask our prayers through Jesus Christ. Amen.