August saw a group from the Year 12 Justice and Peace class going to the Villa Maria Auditorium to listen to Peter Gasper who is a Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia, Europe. Peter travels the world to educate people about the horrors and dangers of prejudice and discrimination with a focus on the youth and younger generations. 

Peter educated our men about his upbringing in Europe through World War Two and discussed how he hid from the Nazis for a large amount of the war. In the last year of the war Peter and his parents were forced to give themselves up to the Nazis and went into Terezin concentration camp. Peter currently volunteers with the Courage to Care program in Melbourne inspiring young people to be more accepting and tolerant. This year he will also be travelling to schools throughout New Zealand, through the HOPE Project and the NZ Friends of Israel Association. 

For our Justice and Peace class, Peters talk gave us a personal insight into the true horrors of the world and the atrocities of the Nazi Party. His story about struggle, hope, freedom and the dangers and of prejudice and discrimination were an eye opener for the boys and his story of grit and determination was something that they will remember for a long time.

Chris Leader