New Zealand Secondary Schools Passchendaele Centennial Tour
Our young people remember
Ten secondary school students jointly won the Ministry of Education, Fields of Remembrance Trust and Passchendaele Society digital competition about the Battle of Passchendaele. The winners - two group entries and one individual entry - came from St Paul’s Collegiate, Rotorua Girls’ High School and St Margaret’s College.The prize was a trip to Belgium to attend formal commemorative events in recognition of the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
In a very comprehensive itinerary prepared by Students Horizons, also a supporter of the competition, the students visited cemeteries and memorials, battlefields and museums in both France and Belgium. They attended commemorations at the Menin Gate, the National Commemoration Service at the Tyne Cot Cemetery and the opening of the New Zealand Memorial and Garden. Their final days were spent in Amsterdam, visiting the Jewish Quarter and Anne Frank house and museum for a very sad reminder of the horrors of WWII.
Somme graveyard, photo by Alexandra Lay | At Menin Gate, photo from Student Horizons |
Prince William speaks at ceremony, photo by Alexandra Lay |
New Zealand Memorial and Garden, photo from Student Horizons |
NZ soldier statue at Messines, photo from Students Horizons | Photo from Student Horizons |
‘We couldn’t believe the huge number of New Zealanders killed, some as young as 19"
Lucy Tustin ST PAUL’S COLLEGIATE, HAMILTON
It was a time of learning, sharing and reflection. The trip was described as a journey of a lifetime!
In Flanders Fields, photo by Kayla Kautai
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