The Kalamunda Senior High School community came together on to commemorate Anzac Day. The anniversary of the day when Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on Gallipoli in 1915 has become a time for all Australians to recognise the more than 1.5 million service men and women who have served our country in conflicts and in peacekeeping operations. Our Head Girl - Charlotte McCullen and Head boy - Hayden Schwinkowski lead the assesmbly and welcomed many special guests. We thank our special guests - Robert Reid and Sebastian Rosati representing Ken Wyatt AM MP; Matthew Hughes MLA, Member for Kalamunda; Dylan O’Connor Deputy Mayor, City of Kalamunda; Geoff Irving, Colin Jobling and Wes Sutton, representatives of the Kalamunda RSL - for joining our commemorative assembly.

This year our assembly focused on two significant anniversaries: the sinking of the HMAS Sydney eighty years ago, and the Royal Australian Air Force’s centenary of service.

Year 11 students Jasmine Dunster and Hannah Whittington provided a short history of the HMAS Sydney, highlighting its connection with the people of Perth, Fremantle, and Geraldton. After taking on the might of the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean, the Sydney returned to home shores where she escorted a troopship to the Sunda Strait. Attacked by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran off the Western Australian coast, the Sydney was sunk on 19 November 1941. All 645 men on board perished. In commemoration of the 80^th anniversary of this event, the Kalamunda Senior High School Concert Band played a song composed by Peter Hind called ‘The Rest is Silence’. It was very evocative.

Year 12 students Sophia Ferrari and Jacob Klienfield-Fowl reflected on the RAAF’s centenary of service to Australia, including their more recent contributions to bushfire and COVID-19 relief efforts. The students shared the story of Australian Pilot Officer Les Knight, a young RAAF pilot who served alongside 12 other RAAF men in Operation Chastise, the famous ‘Dambusters Raid’ of the Second World War. Awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts as a ‘dambuster’, Officer Knight later lost his life in a raid on the Dortmund-Ems canal in 1943. He was 22 years old.

The assembly was enriched by the musical performances of the Kalamunda Senior High School Choir, Concert Band, and String Ensemble. We also enjoyed listening to Kalamunda RSL president Geof Irvin reflect on his own experiences during the Vietnam War; we look forward to seeing the UH-1H Iriquois helicopter mounted outside the Kalamunda RSL Hall later this year.

On behalf of the Kalamunda SHS community thank you to all those who made a contribution to make the ANZAC Commemorative Assembly a meaningful and important event on our calendar.

Ainsley Cusmano
Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher