Students from the Sanctuary Point Public School SRC group were treated to a memorable morning tea in honour of ANZAC Day.
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They met with Australian Defence Force veterans who shared their stories, which helped students gain an understanding about the importance of ANZAC Day, as veterans discussed their time in the service.
Following the morning tea, which was an initiative by The Country Club St George's Basin, a special flag raising was conducted with Australian and New Zealand flags and concluded with a "Lest We Forget".
The Country Club St George's Basin entertainment and communications manager Sharon Buggy said it was a beautiful day and wonderful to see how the students interacted with veterans.
The Country Club had organised booklets detailing the lives of each veteran who attended, which students could study, read the veteran profiles and prepare questions for the day.
"They had a whole lot of pre-prepared questions which was just wonderful and shows they were really interested int he history and their experiences in the ADF," Ms Buggy said.
"I was so happy and pleased, because some veterans like to tell their stories and some don't and you can never push them to, but every veteran there wanted to share and wanted to participate in the questions that came to them.
"They explained how they joined the defence force, what they achieved while they were in, where they went and what their life was like afterwards."
"For me in todays society not everyone wants to hear about it, but these kids showed so much interest and so they shared."
This is the second year The Country Club has organised an ANZAC Day tribute bridging the gap between young and old, and intended to continue into the future, and club president Bob Proudfoot was particularly proud of the initiative.
"It's one of the initiatives that The Country Club do that Bob is the proudest of, he's very community minded and by reaching out and having the school involved to pay homage to veterans is high in his agenda," Ms Buggy said.
"Depending how it falls next year we'd like to get the local high school involved, and especially for kids thinking about careers and things like that, it gives them an insight on the ADF and shows the opportunities available."
Holly McGuinness
Holly is a journalist for Australian Community Media, covering South Coast, NSW. As a born and bred Shoalhaven local, she's passionate about covering community concerns and amplifying local voices. To get in contact, email holly.mcguinness@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Holly is a journalist for Australian Community Media, covering South Coast, NSW. As a born and bred Shoalhaven local, she's passionate about covering community concerns and amplifying local voices. To get in contact, email holly.mcguinness@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
