"Like the seeds of a poppy, we as children of New Zealand grow freely in the wake of our ANZAC history." - Bree McTavish-Huriwai and Sara Esterman.

Being involved in the National Celebration of ANZAC Day is an honour. We had the immense privilege of speaking and attending on behalf of Tauranga Girls' College at four events held in Tauranga this year. Before the sun rose on Tuesday, April 25th, our Head Prefect, Liv Marshall, and our Deputy Head Prefect of Arts, Sarah Smith, attended the Dawn Service at the Greerton RSA. Sarah and Liv enjoyed listening to personal anecdotes of those directly and indirectly impacted by the war, including past veterans of our New Zealand Armed Forces. It was an immense privilege for two Tauranga Girls' College students to speak on behalf of our school and pay their respects to commemorate those who have fought as ANZACs. Liv spoke about her whānau link to ANZAC day and her Great Grandfather, a pilot in WW2, and Sarah shared a poem reading of the poem "Sir" by Damian Morgan.

At the same time, on the other side of Tauranga, Able Navy Cadet Loui Mejia-Ball, a Year 12 student at Tauranga Girls' College, attended the Mount Maunganui Dawn service in her role guarding the memorial cenotaph.

After the moving dawn services, our Tauranga Girls' Prefects stood together in unity at the Civic Service held at Memorial Park. Joining leaders and students from other schools, and members of different services, we marched in to hear and join the service. After listening to speeches from many individuals, all of whom had their stories and pearls of wisdom to share, we looked on as wreaths were laid to honour those who gave their lives in Gallipoli. Tauranga Girls' College wreath bearers Jayda Reed and Aaliyah Bengston represented the school by paying our respects to the fallen.

Deputy Head Prefects Bree McTavish-Huriwai and Sara Esterman attended the ANZAC Commemoration at The Avenues Metlifecare Retirement Village in the evening. The event started at 5 PM, with 65 residents present. Clyde Stewart, an OBE Lieutenant Colonel with 33 years of experience in the army, was the organiser of the commemoration who kindly invited our prefects to share a youthful view on ANZAC's impact on their lives. Our prefects talked about growing up in the wake of ANZAC and their ancestral links to soldiers and service members. At the commemoration's conclusion, our prefects were invited to join the residents for supper and socialising after the event. They enjoyed getting to know the kind and inviting elderly audience and even had the opportunity to sing with the ukulele group. Bree and Sara found the experience extremely valuable and hope to return to The Avenues to visit their new friends.

Attending the ANZAC Commemoration ceremonies across Tauranga was an honour for us as students. We gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by our ANZAC servicemen and women and were reminded of the importance of upholding their values. We feel grounded with sadness and immense respect for our ANZAC service men and women, and we will never forget their sacrifices.

Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou – we will remember them.

Article by Liv Marshall, Charlotte Wilde, Sara Esterman and Bree McTavish-Huriwai.