A student and a history teacher from Keilor’s Overnewton Anglican Community College are preparing for a walk through time after being selected to take part in the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac prize study tour.
Year 11 student Billy Kantharidis and history teacher Ian Francis were selected as part of the 2017 cohort on the annual tour, during which 22 students and three teachers will visit Darwin and Singapore in early April.
Students submitted essays to enter the competition for places on the tour, with Billy focussing on the sacrifices made by women and children on the home front during times of conflict.
“So much of the focus is on soldiers when learning about war, so I think the efforts of women, especially on the home front, get neglected,” he said. “There were things I had never heard about, which were really interesting.” It will be his first time overseas.
“Being there and experiencing it firsthand, and standing where the Anzacs stood will be amazing,” Billy said.
Mr Francis said the chance to increase students knowledge about conflicts close to home was important.
“People tend to hear a lot about the European side of the big wars, but it’s important to remember how close it came to our shores,” he said. “Many students are amazed with what they don’t know about the Anzacs.”
