Retracing the ANZAC legend

It was a history lesson like no other. 

In April, eight Queensland high school students embarked on a life-changing journey, retracing the ANZAC legend from London to the Western Front. 

RSL Queensland State Deputy President Wendy Taylor joined Queensland Minister for Education Grace Grace MP and Assistant Minister to the Premier for Veterans' Affairs Bart Mellish MP in farewelling students in April 2023.

The 16-day tour of Europe was part of the 2023 Premier’s Anzac Prize, presented in partnership with RSL Queensland and the Queensland Department of Education. 

It was an unforgettable opportunity for the students and their teacher chaperones to see – first-hand – WWI battlefields, war graves, memorials and other sites significant to Australia’s military history. 

From 40 impressive applicants from across the state, this year’s prize recipients were selected based on their passion for, and knowledge of, ANZAC history.  

As part of the prize, the students undertook ANZAC-related research, a Young Historians’ Workshop, community engagement, and charitable projects (collectively raising more than $7,600 for Mates4Mates) before departing for the UK. 

Students took part in the Young Historians' Workshop conducted by the State Library of Queensland prior to departure.

Living history  

The 2023 Premier’s Anzac Prize tour began in London with visits to the Churchill War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum, and HMS Belfast. 

The tour then made its way to key landmarks in France and Belgium, from the Louvre Museum and Palace of Versailles to the 1916 battlefield of Fromelles, where Australia lost 5,533 men during its first action on the Western Front.  

Students explored trenches, German bunkers, and the Caves of Naours – a vast underground complex whose walls bear thousands of carvings by Australian and other Allied soldiers of WWI. 

Dashiell (Dash) Solomon, whose great-grandfather served in WWI, says the experience “really put into perspective” the events of the war.  

“Being there and seeing little bits of shrapnel and bullets in the fields, it really made me realise how recent and relevant this was and still is,” fellow student Sarah Ellis agrees. 

The group also paid their respects at Australian Memorial Park, VC Corner Cemetery (the only all-Australian cemetery in France), the site of the recently discovered Australian mass grave at Pheasant Wood (Fromelles), and Tyne Cot Cemetery – the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. 

Then on ANZAC Day, the students had the honour of laying a wreath at the Australian National Memorial Dawn Service in Villers-Bretonneux. 

An extraordinary story   

Reflecting on the tour, student Tom Eccleseton says he “learned a lot about the ANZAC spirit and how that connects to my day-to-day life”. 

“I've learned a lot about myself, and it was really amazing to stand pretty much where my great-great-uncles stood, in the same mud,” he shares. 

“Seeing the battlefields and museums and the stuff they witnessed, it was mind-blowing to see they had to go through all of that,” fellow student Claire Gattera says. “It helped me understand the importance of the care for our veterans and current service people.” 

Alison Marsh, a Marsden State High School teacher who chaperoned this year’s tour, says the students came home with “an extraordinary story to tell their friends and family” – and much more. 

“They didn't know each other to begin with, and now they're lifelong friends,” she says. “And along the way, they developed that whole ANZAC spirit of mateship, courage, loyalty and endurance.” 

Find out more  
The annual Premier’s Anzac Prize is open to all Queensland high school students in years 8 to 11.  

For more details, including eligibility criteria and application dates, visit rslqld.org/premiers-anzac-prize