“ANZAC Day is a day to honour those who fought and those who fell fighting for the freedom of our young nation. It is a day to honour their sacrifices and to reflect on the courage it must have taken to step onto that beach and the cliffs beyond, the first steps not only towards a noble struggle, but towards the formation of a distinct kiwi identity that lives on within each of us today.”

It was an immense privilege to speak on behalf of Tauranga Girls’ College at the Greerton RSA dawn service on ANZAC Day. Before the sun rose on another beautiful Tauranga morning, myself and Head Prefect Ella Ryan joined hundreds of others gathered outside the Greerton RSA to commemorate those who fought and fell fighting for Aotearoa’s freedom.

Ella and I both gave speeches detailing the meaning of ANZAC Day to us, and we were joined by Hamish Graham of Tauranga Boys’ College, who presented a poem. I personally spoke about my Great Grandfather whose medals I wore on the day. He was a serviceman in the Navy and a survivor of two sinkings aboard the HMS Hecla. It was humbling to honour his memory and celebrate the service of him and others like him on a day that is so special to Aotearoa.

A particular quote from Ella’s speech that stuck with me was from the ancient Athenian historian Thucydides: “the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” It is incredible how these words are still so relevant even thousands of years on.

After the dawn service, we joined the rest of the Tauranga Girls’ College prefects at Memorial Park for the civic service. It was fantastic to see such a large turnout for this event, particularly from students from a variety of schools. Service is something we seek to embody in our leadership at TGC, and being able to have such a strong presence at community events really shows the value all of our prefects place on giving back and showing up for our community.

It was an honour to be a part of this year’s commemorations, and it inspires me to see the importance our ākonga and wider community place on commemorating ANZAC Day. Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou – we will remember them.