Remembrance Day Reflection

Despite the cancellation of our Remembrance Day Service last month, Centennial Park and our community continued to acknowledge and pay their respects in other ways.

We would like to share a piece written by Scotch College student, Winter Birkett. Winter was originally invited to make a speech at our Remembrance Day Service, prior to its cancellation. She expresses her thoughts on the importance of reflection and remembering those who served and sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

“As a young Australian who has grown up in a sustained period of relative peace, it can be easy to take our current social and political freedoms for granted. Yet, it is vital that we all understand and remember how this came to be.

Remembrance Day is so pivotal because it provides us with a formal way to appreciate and recall the responsibility, that we as young Australians have to continue to honour the peace that those long before us sacrificed so much for. Through acknowledging those who gave their lives selflessly in the pursuit of our current freedom, simultaneously we recognise the traditions that these women and men fought tremendously hard to preserve. As we all take the time together to meaningfully consider the terrors of past wars and battles, young Australians are concurrently reminded of the many people around the globe who are still facing significant conflict every day.

It is because of this that in a year unlike any other, this Remembrance Day has seemingly never been more critical. Unequivocally, the year 2020 will be remembered in history as one marked by stark hardship and human suffering. No one can know for certain what lies ahead, however, in this period of instability, we can all look to the past for lessons in overcoming adversity.

Consequentially, the traditions of Remembrance Day pointedly enable us to fully cherish the society that we now live in. Through this, as young people we are reminded of our role in working harmoniously and altruistically to achieve a safer and more peaceful world.”

Winter Birkett