By Mikayla van Loon
One lucky student from Chirnside Park is set to embark on the trip of a lifetime next year after being awarded Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize for 2023.
Oxley Christian College current Year 10 student Roman Young will trace the footsteps of the Anzacs through Türkiye when he departs for the trip next year.
Thrilled to be selected from hundreds of applicants from across the state, Roman said it was a great feeling to get the news.
“It was amazing. We waited a while because there were some delays in the selection process and we were at my brother’s cricket training when we found out, it was amazing. We’re all so excited and just so happy that I was chosen,” he said.
With only 12 students selected for the prize, Roman said the application process took a fair amount of effort, exploring the connection between modern Australia and World War I.
“We had to respond to a prompt that was something along the lines of what is the definition of Anzac spirit in a multicultural Australia? And how does that definition relate to the peoples and events of World War One?
“Along with our submission, we had to provide a personal statement about why we felt we were the right choice for the opportunity.”
Choosing to write an essay out of the many formats Roman could choose from, he was guided by his history teacher Stephen White.
“We’ve had a few students over the years enter. [Roman would] be the fourth student from here to win the prize but is the first one in a long time,” he said.
“We looked at his work and I gave some suggestions and editing and then he took all the feedback on board to really make it something exceptional.”
Studying World War I and II in high school is compulsory in both the Australian and Victorian curriculum, generally in Years 9 and 10, starting with the reasons behind Australia’s involvement and the battles they fought, before moving onto the formative aspects of modern Australia.
“As well as what’s going on at the homefront and the rise of women joining the workforce and the start of a feminist movement in Australia and then the huge conscription debate with a referendum that was defeated twice,” Stephan said.
“We start to see big divisions in society, this war was really formative, because modern Australia was quite a new country and it seemed like the rest of it didn’t even know what Australia was, where it was or that it even existed.
“But I think the way the Anzac spirit left a mark on everyone who came across them throughout the world and that’s why it’s a really important part of our early history of modern Australia.”
This was something that Roman also touched on when reflecting on the spirit of the Anzacs.
“I just love the idea that as a country our soldiers were able to do such amazing feats of courage and strength that inspired so many people even outside the country,” he said.
The current plan for the students is to travel to Istanbul and Gallipoli in April next year, with the prospect of being there for Anzac Day, an exciting one for Roman.
“I’m really excited to go out there and explore the rich history and culture and especially the connection we have there through the Anzacs,” he said.
Seeing Roman get this incredible opportunity to travel overseas, Stephen said it should be an inspiration to other students.
“You never know what will happen if you enter and a passion can take you into amazing places and sometimes it might just take you to find a new show on Netflix.
“But in Romans case, he’s going to get to go overseas to somewhere really rich in history, of not just the Middle East, but also Australian history and just that little bit of extra work, on top of all his other study, he’s got this huge opportunity.”
