Melbourne Legacy: 91st ANZAC ceremony for Victorian students at Shrine of Remembrance
Almost 3000 Victorian students descended on the Shrine of Remembrance in the lead-up to Anzac Day. See if you featured in our special picture gallery.
South East
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Thousands of Victorian students flocked to the Shrine of Remembrance for Legacy’s 91st ANZAC Student Commemoration Ceremony.
Students from schools across the state united on April 5 to pay their respects to Australia’s veterans as Legacy celebrates 100 years of supporting service families.
Legacy has a strong connection with service families in Australia, supporting more than 44,000 people across the country.
It’s for this reason that Melbourne Legacy’s president Kerry Jenke thinks ceremonies and the continued education of children about Anzac Day and Australian military history was so important.
“We still look after 4700 families just at Melbourne Legacy,” Ms Jenke said.
“The need is different, but the demand is as great today as it was at the establishment of Legacy.”
Many students who attended the service on Wednesday had ancestors who served.
Oscar Kenyon proudly wore the medals of his great-grandfather, who served in World War II.
“His full name was William Harold Charles Maher,” Oscar said.
“I’m very proud to wear the medals, because he did his service, and I think he was very helpful.”
Oscar’s great-grandfather joined the army at just 18, serving as an aircraft engineer in the RAAF.
Among the services attendees were many Legacy families, including Eltham’s Catherine Rushbrooke, and her two children Isabella and George.
Ms Rushbrooke’s husband Paul died in 2020 following a short and aggressive battle with cancer, after he’d returned from service.
Legacy stepped in to help Ms Rushbrooke with support and stability during her heartbreak.
“They’ve really worked with us, to work out how our family is unique and what kind of support we need,” she said.
“Legacy has provided so much and importantly has connected me with other families and other widows.”
“Meeting other widows through Legacy has been amazing. We provide each other with validation, comfort and inspiration. We know that we’re not alone. We are together.”
Ms Rushbrooke said ceremonies to remember and reflect were essential to remind us all of what so many soldiers fought for.
“We are so lucky for the lives we live and the freedoms we have, and that is what they fought for,” she said.
“It’s essential to commemorate those who provided that service to our country and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Ms Rushbrooke said Legacy played a crucial role in support for military families, as the affects of war impact people long after they return home.
“There are many ways people are lost as a result of war, whether it’s physical and they pass away, or it’s the mental scars that people carry, which can deeply affect families,” she said.
“It’s really important from an intergenerational perspective that families are supported in the stresses they may have as the result of such a loss.”
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
