Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to advise the House that Carlingford High School will be commemorating the Anzac spirit with a memorial on their school grounds with support from the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program. The sandstone plinth with bronze plaque will commemorate those who died at Gallipoli and those who embody the Anzac spirit of courage, cooperation and mateship. The plaque will also be inscribed with the famous words of Ataturk:

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace.

A big thank you to Mrs Margaret Owens—no relation—the head teacher of history and legal studies, who has taught at Carlingford High School for 22 years and has supported and organised this commemoration. The project also has the support of Carlingford High School principal David Krust and the P and C association.

This project will be a continuation of the school's commitment to commemorating Anzac Day with a large multicultural commemoration for both the school and community, held every year on school grounds. The commemorative piece, to be located in the school's quadrangle, will serve as an excellent reminder to students of the significance of World War I and Gallipoli in our nation's history and can only enhance their learning about this important piece of Australian history. I look forward to seeing the 1,100 students, their parents, staff and the community at the commemoration ceremony on 24 April, when the memorial will be unveiled.