Remembrance Day

Yesterday, we commemorated Remembrance Day.

Each year, students and staff gather on each campus to remember those who fought so Australia could be a free and democratic country.

We come together to honour and remember the countless men and women who have served in the armed forces, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, safety, and peace.

It is a day for reflection, gratitude, and, most of all, remembrance. It does not glorify war but instead reminds us of the futility and loss of life that conflict inflicts.

We recall the experience of St Francis, who experienced war himself and was profoundly moved to change his life in a most significant way.

After experiencing battle and being captured St Francis was determined to live a life of peace and service to others. The song Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, attributed to him, asks us to be a channel of God's peace.

These words of St Francis remind us that true courage often means placing the wellbeing of others above our own.

Many of those we remembered yesterday did precisely that – they answered a call greater than themselves, showing love for their fellow citizens and hope for a peaceful world.

Remembrance Day is also a time to renew our commitment to peace.

War and conflict come with an unimaginable cost, and those who served knew that cost too well. They fought not because they wanted to but because they believed in a better future for all.

We, too, can contribute to that better future – not on battlefields, but in our everyday lives through our actions, words, and choices. Let us work for peace within our families, in our schools, and in our communities.

Marlene Jorgensen

Principal