On Tuesday 5 May, seven Sacred Heart students were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to attend the 94th Legacy Day Annual ANZAC Commemoration, held at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.

I have been privileged to attend this Commemoration with Sacred Heart since Year 8. Every year has been a memorable and powerful reminder of the sacrifices made. I find Legacy Day important as it is dedicated to honouring the memory of deceased veterans. Legacy is an organisation established to provide, and continue to provide, support to veterans' families.

This year, we travelled up on the train with Mr Tracey and Claudia. We took the new Metro Tunnel straight to Anzac Station, which let us see the beautiful gardens and statues on the way to the Shrine. During the Ceremony, we listened to a powerful speech about remembrance and witnessed the cadets and catafalque party perform their roles with honour. During the wreath laying, Sacred Heart’s very own Shrine Young Ambassador, Milly Naylor, laid the wreath on behalf of the Shrine Young Ambassadors, which is a huge honour. We are incredibly proud of her for being chosen for this role. Ruby Ranger (Year 7) and I then laid a wreath on behalf of our College, which gave us the opportunity to represent Sacred Heart.

After the service concluded, we received a guided tour of the Shrine from a volunteer named Judy. She spoke to us about World War I and her personal connection to its history. Judy guided us through the crypt and sanctuary, sharing information about the significance and importance of these spaces. Judy’s passion was engaging and very admirable, and the information she shared will be deeply cherished by us.

As I am graduating this year, I am proudly passing the baton to the younger year levels to continue to take pride in keeping the ANZAC Spirit alive and to remember those who have sacrificed so much for us to live in the world we are today.

Sophie Nisbet, Year 12