Honouring our ANZACs
POSTED May 1 2025 , News, Parents & Community
To commemorate ANZAC Day, our Senior School students gathered in Dannatt Hall for a special assembly to reflect on the bravery and sacrifice of the ANZACs who fought to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.
It was a meaningful opportunity to pause and honour the courage and sacrifice of those who have served and currently serve, and to reflect on the deeper values we strive to uphold as a school community.
In that spirit, Acting Principal Mrs Rebecca Payne spoke of bravery being our character strength focus for Term 2. She talked of bravery not only being found in acts of wartime heroism but in the everyday moments where we face challenges with confidence, with courage and with compassion.
The assembly also featured several meaningful prayers and readings, a stirring performance from our Symphonic Wind Orchestra, and a thoughtful blessing from Reverend Ruth Chapman.
Head Girl Sara delivered a powerful address on the strength and resilience of Peggy Farmaner, an inspiring St Mary’s Old Girl. Peggy was a School Prefect in the graduating class of 1930 who died while bravely serving in the Australian Army Nursing Service in WWII. Here is an excerpt from Sara’s address:
Like so many others, Peggy answered the call to serve her country. She enlisted on 14 August 1940, as a Lieutenant, demonstrating her leadership and dedication. Her service would take her overseas to Singapore, where she would care for the wounded and play an integral role in the war effort.
Peggy’s bravery and defiance of the limitations placed on the women of her time serve as a reminder of the strength, courage, and resilience of those who served, especially the women who often had to fight not only in wars but against the expectations and prejudices of the time.
In a tragic turn of events, Peggy Farmaner’s life was cut short by war. A nursing ship, the Vyner Brooke, was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk in Banka Strait on 14 February 1942. Of the 65 nurses on board, 12 were lost at sea, and 32 were captured as Prisoners of War, of which eight later died during captivity.
Sister Farmaner, aged 29, was one of the remaining 22 nurses who also survived the sinking and were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island, where they surrendered to the Japanese, along with 25 British soldiers.
On 16 February 1942, the group was massacred. The soldiers were bayoneted, and the nurses were ordered to march into the sea, where they were shot.
On this ANZAC Day, let us honour the memory of Peggy Farmaner and all those who served, and let us continue to live by the values they fought for: courage, integrity, and a commitment to making the world a better place.
Lest we forget.
