Anzac Day is one of the most important days in the Australian calendar and students on all campuses attended events which commemorated, and reflected upon, the cost of war and those who had given their lives in the service of Australia. Haileybury’s marvellous Pipes & Drums and Brass corps also represented the school proudly in the Melbourne Anzac Day Parade.
Tragically, 22 Haileyburians lost their lives in WWI and 18 in WWII — a large figure for what was a very small school that had started in 1892. When those names are read by students I always reflect on the nature of society at the time, what the school represented within that society and what we represent today.
I also reflect on the fact that most of those names read are not much older than the Senior School students standing in front of me. A real reminder of the inevitable cost of war.
The names read are of course all male, reflecting Haileybury as a boy’s school then and the fact it was men who went to fight, and reflected the largely Anglo-Saxon nature of Melbourne in the first part of the 1900's.
As I look out across a sea of students at the commemoration, I am always pleased with the respect that the students show for this important event. I also reflect on the wonderful multi-cultural community we are today — reflecting the very best of multi-cultural Melbourne and Australia.
Haileybury today has 5,100 students in its Melbourne community, there are around 60 different ethnic backgrounds represented and 43% of our students speak a language other than English at home. We are greatly enriched by having such a diverse community.
It is a privilege to see the students from many different backgrounds acknowledging and reflecting upon elements of Australia’s history at the Anzac Day services. We are lucky to be able to celebrate this in peace while there is much conflict going on in other parts of the world. We should never take this for granted.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
