St Monica’s Shana Coyle wins Premier’s Anzac Prize
Saint Monica’s student Shana Coyle will embark on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip in April, after she was selected for the Premier’s Anzac Prize.
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Saint Monica’s student Shana Coyle will embark on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip in April, after she was selected for the Premier’s Anzac Prize.
She and seven other Queensland high school students will travel through London, Belgium and France, to learn and help spread the word about the Anzac history.
The 14-year-old said it was an honour to be chosen.
“It’s such a great opportunity. Everything about it resonates in me,” she said.
Miss Coyle said she was most looking forward to attending the dawn service for the centenary of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux.
The battle, in which more than 2000 Australians lost their lives, is described as a turning point in the war.
But she said there was even more to it than just the overseas experience.
“In the build-up to the trip we get to participate in so many different things. We get to fundraise for the Mates for Mates Organisation, and visit a primary school here in Cairns to talk to them.”
The application process was an experience in itself, she said.
This year students were required to create a three-minute video highlighting the relevance of the Anzac spirit in Australia by using modern examples.
“I used the 2011 Brisbane floods,” said Miss Coyle. “Everyone banded together to make a mud army and to help clean up.”
“It was a reflection of the mateship that was also evident in World War One.”
Miss Coyle said the thing she most wanted to take away from the trip was the ability to teach others about the importance of the Anzac tradition.
“The courage they had, and the mateship, it’s just amazing,” said Miss Coyle. “It’s important to commemorate what they did, and what they’re still doing today.”
Originally published as St Monica’s Shana Coyle wins Premier’s Anzac Prize
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