What a week or two of ANZAC commemorations on all three of our campuses it has been? I was so proud of the way our boys and young men honoured The Fallen, and those who have served their countries over the years gone by. Particularly at the senior campus we focused on our own Fallen from the First World War – 111 students and staff who gave the ultimate gift for their country.

It is most fitting that we do give significant focus on the centennial of the beginning of the ANZAC Legend, which of course was the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops on Turkish soil at Anzac Cove in 1915.

There is nothing to celebrate, or boast about, when it comes to the Gallipoli campaign by British troops (of which New Zealand and Australia were a part). This was basically a defeat at the hands of the Turkish defenders who lost 87,000 of their own men, compared with Australia’s 9,141 and New Zealand’s 2,799 (the other Allied countries saw 33,000 dead). Even the fleeting success of gaining Chunuk Bair and the Lone Pine Hill were quickly extinguished by a persistent and courageous Turkish counter-offensive and by the end of December 1915 the Allied Troops left the Dardanelle Peninsula once and for all.

As is true with individual life, so it is true of corporate, community and national life – often our tragedies, and tough times, become our greatest growth points and our most significant learning experiences.

For us in the Newington community we learn to value our past, even the sadder moments and the tragic circumstances and we treasure our history. What we do focus on, and rightly celebrate is the selfless sacrifice of so many and this adds a great strength of worth to embracing qualities of courage, endurance, resilience and altruism. May such character traits be forever encouraged in our boys as they grow into young men who hopefully will go out into this world as contributing and selfless citizens, and as the writer to the Hebrews puts it in our Holy Scriptures:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12: 1- 3)

Rev David Williams
College Chaplain