35. Remembrance Day.

Today, November 11, was Remembrance Day in Australia.
We lower our flags to half mast and observe a minute of silence and remember the brave troops who fought for us in times of war.

Our school is associated with a group of World War II veterans, who came in with their wives to celebrate the day with us.
As a school leader, I was one of 12 students given an opportunity to speak with these men.
Admittedly, I don’t know a great deal about the historical aspect of the war (or any other war for that matter), but speaking to them was definitely a fascinating experience.
One particular veteran who I spent most of my time talking to had photos with him taken in the mid 40s, when he was around seventeen and first joined the Royal Navy.
He showed us pictures taken when he was in Egypt, and pictures taken when he was travelling on a merchant ship, and told us about his experiences there.

He also carried with him pictures from the days when he first met his wife, right to their wedding photos, all in black and white. They have been married for about sixty years, and still seem perfectly happy in each other’s company. He showed us pictures of his children, his grand children, and his great grand children. He told us about his son, who in turn had six sons of his own (no daughters), five of whom went into business together (the sixth became a pilot). It was great to hear about the war, but his life after the war was really interesting to hear about as well.

We only had about half an hour to speak with them, but it was easily the highlight of my day.