ANZAC day has always been very special to me, and not only because I have relatives on both sides of my family who served in WW1 + WW2. This year was particularly special as I was offered the opportunity to build a Field of Remembrance with a group of very keen senior students from Victory Park, and deliver a series of interactive learning sessions covering WW1 + WW2 in the Learning Hub.
The Field of Remembrance Trust kindly sent us a kit containing 30 crosses with soldier / nurse names, teaching resources and all of the other materials required to build our Field which we did with pleasure. However, in typical Island Bay School fashion, we wanted to know more! After our crosses were carefully built we then went online to do some more in-depth research on our one nurse and 29 soldiers. What we found out was amazing! We discovered that we were paying tribute to NZ's first All Black Captain David Gallaher, Leslie Beauchamp who was the younger brother of Katherine Mansfield, multiple Victoria Cross recipients, several Maori & Pacifica soldiers, and much more!
You can find all of our nurse & solider information sheets proudly displayed in the main school foyer (by the office) on the art boards, please feel free to take these sheets off the wall & read all about the soldiers that we have paid tribute to in our Field of Remembrance which is located just outside of the Rimu Block in the middle school. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you our our amazing caretaker Avie for all of his assistance in preparing the site, and to Bunnings in Lyall Bay for donating materials to help us add the cordon rope protecting our crosses, their support is greatly appreciated!
We were incredibly fortunate to host Flight Sergent Paul Jacobs from the RNZAF for the day on Tuesday 21st April. Paul delivered a fascinating presentation to the senior school showcasing how far the defence force has come since WW1. Paul showed the children what a modern day defence uniform looks like, and we even got to take a close up look at a modern day soldier ration pack. Thankfully we have come a long way from tins of bully beef & hard tack! Paul then spent the afternoon with our students laying the crosses, observing a minutes silence, and the playing of the last post. Thank you Paul - we really enjoyed hosting you at Island Bay School & we really appreciate the effort you put into making your visit such a memorable one!
I have really enjoyed working the large number of classes coming through the Learning Hub to learn more about ANZAC day, WW1 & WW2. The children listened carefully, asked incredibly insightful questions, learnt a lot and I was particularly fascinated to hear some of the senior children debate and talk about how conscientious objectors were treated during both wars. I would like to thank Sue Symes for providing me with recent photos of Gallipoli from her family trip to Turkey. It was very powerful to be able to show the children where the fighting actually took place, and for the children to take a good look at the landscape. A number of children have since come to see me with special family soldier stories, and Frankie even brought in a vintage tea towel commemorating the fight at Gallipoli from her Great Great Grandmother - so special!
I have also included some photos taken at this years WCC ANZAC light show which was quite spectacular. This show provided my children with a deeper insight into what our soldiers actually went through, it was a very powerful piece of story telling indeed!
It was lovely to see so many from the Island Bay Community attending the Dawn Service at the new Pukeahu Memorial this year. It was a very moving morning, and one that I will never forget. Our new memorial is quite stunning and well worth a visit. It is free to attend, there is a wealth of information available and there is plenty of space to sit down and have rest as needed.
The next two weeks will see me baking ANZAC biscuits with 6 classes, so please do pop in to say hello, make yourself a cuppa tea/coffee & enjoy some fresh baking!
Karin : )
Learning Hub Coordinator
The Field of Remembrance Trust kindly sent us a kit containing 30 crosses with soldier / nurse names, teaching resources and all of the other materials required to build our Field which we did with pleasure. However, in typical Island Bay School fashion, we wanted to know more! After our crosses were carefully built we then went online to do some more in-depth research on our one nurse and 29 soldiers. What we found out was amazing! We discovered that we were paying tribute to NZ's first All Black Captain David Gallaher, Leslie Beauchamp who was the younger brother of Katherine Mansfield, multiple Victoria Cross recipients, several Maori & Pacifica soldiers, and much more!
You can find all of our nurse & solider information sheets proudly displayed in the main school foyer (by the office) on the art boards, please feel free to take these sheets off the wall & read all about the soldiers that we have paid tribute to in our Field of Remembrance which is located just outside of the Rimu Block in the middle school. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you our our amazing caretaker Avie for all of his assistance in preparing the site, and to Bunnings in Lyall Bay for donating materials to help us add the cordon rope protecting our crosses, their support is greatly appreciated!
We were incredibly fortunate to host Flight Sergent Paul Jacobs from the RNZAF for the day on Tuesday 21st April. Paul delivered a fascinating presentation to the senior school showcasing how far the defence force has come since WW1. Paul showed the children what a modern day defence uniform looks like, and we even got to take a close up look at a modern day soldier ration pack. Thankfully we have come a long way from tins of bully beef & hard tack! Paul then spent the afternoon with our students laying the crosses, observing a minutes silence, and the playing of the last post. Thank you Paul - we really enjoyed hosting you at Island Bay School & we really appreciate the effort you put into making your visit such a memorable one!
I have really enjoyed working the large number of classes coming through the Learning Hub to learn more about ANZAC day, WW1 & WW2. The children listened carefully, asked incredibly insightful questions, learnt a lot and I was particularly fascinated to hear some of the senior children debate and talk about how conscientious objectors were treated during both wars. I would like to thank Sue Symes for providing me with recent photos of Gallipoli from her family trip to Turkey. It was very powerful to be able to show the children where the fighting actually took place, and for the children to take a good look at the landscape. A number of children have since come to see me with special family soldier stories, and Frankie even brought in a vintage tea towel commemorating the fight at Gallipoli from her Great Great Grandmother - so special!
I have also included some photos taken at this years WCC ANZAC light show which was quite spectacular. This show provided my children with a deeper insight into what our soldiers actually went through, it was a very powerful piece of story telling indeed!
It was lovely to see so many from the Island Bay Community attending the Dawn Service at the new Pukeahu Memorial this year. It was a very moving morning, and one that I will never forget. Our new memorial is quite stunning and well worth a visit. It is free to attend, there is a wealth of information available and there is plenty of space to sit down and have rest as needed.
The next two weeks will see me baking ANZAC biscuits with 6 classes, so please do pop in to say hello, make yourself a cuppa tea/coffee & enjoy some fresh baking!
Karin : )
Learning Hub Coordinator