Last Friday’s Anzac assembly was a special occasion for all at Mortlake College.  Our school captains, Bree Cummins and Jake Tanner welcomed members of the Mortlake RSL branch and President, Merv Hampson spoke about the importance of the occasion and in particular the centenary of the formation of the Returned Services’ League and the significance of its role to serviceman and women returning from war.  We also really enjoyed hearing from Year 6 student, Oliver Martin, who spoke about an aspect of Anzac Day that is perhaps sometimes overlooked- the importance of New Zealand to the Anzac legacy.  
On Anzac Day it was wonderful to see so many Mortlake College students proudly representing their school in the Mortlake march.  Our school captains, Bree and Jake laid a wreath on behalf of the school community and Shona McGuigan spoke about three attributes so widely attributed to the Anzacs; courage, mateship and sacrifice.
Thank you to all the students who attended and also the parents who ensured that their children were able to participate in such an important occasion.

​On Tuesday the 26th of April a group of 8-12 students woke up at an ungodly hour to travel to Melbourne. After a very long bus trip with a bit too much loud music we finally arrived at our first destination, the Immigration Museum.
As we entered we were greeted by Adelaide the museum tour guide. She gave us a brief run down of everything in the museum and a bit of the history behind migration to Australia. We then set off on our own to explore. It's fair to say everyone's favourite part of the museum was the replica of a ship used to carry the convicts that settled in Australia. Everyone had a ball getting involved and climbing about in the ship, laying in the bunks and playing with the clothes. We learnt a lot about migration to Australia but mainly that people can migrate for all different reasons, be it fleeing from civil war to looking for better job opportunities or education. We saw personal stories about migrants and learnt so much about our countries immigration history. After we had finished exploring the Immigration Museum we headed across the river to Southbank for lunch.
Once everyone was done eating we all jumped back into the bus and headed out to the suburbs looking for the Jewish Holocaust Museum. Personally this was definitely the highlight of the day and I'm sure everyone else would agree. We learnt so much about the Holocaust and even got to hear a survivor speak about his life. Joe was just 8 years old when Hitlers troops marched through his home town in Poland. He told us he can remember the synagogues burning and everything that the Jewish community owned being destroyed. His family was taken to the Warshaw Ghetto, where he witnessed his mothers death when he was only 11 years old. He spent his childhood in work camps on the brink of starvation where he had to sing for extra food so he could survive and was so close to death a countless amount of times. He was one of the lucky ones with over 1.5 million children being killed during the Holocaust.
 We learnt so much about his life and it really woke everyone up to the horrifying reality and what some people endured during Hitlers reign. His story was so inspiring and if anyone took anything from this experience I'm sure everyone realised they should have a little more gratitude for what they've got in life and how lucky we all are to live in such a privileged county.
Overall the day was a great success and everyone got a lot more than they expected out of it. It was a privilege being able to hear a survivors story and it's an experience none of us will ever forget.
A massive thanks to everyone that made this day possible.
 
By Jackie Cooper
 

​Just over $240 was raised for the Royal
Children’s Hospital Good Friday appeal