AT just 16 years of age, St Mary Mackillop College student Bridget Haley delivered an inspirational reflection of the Anzac spirit at the Swan Hill Anzac Day morning service.
Bridget was one of 22 students across Victoria to receive the 2015/16 Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize for her project, a poem and collage recounting her family’s many involvements in Australia’s war efforts.
The Year 11 student was the guest speaker at Monday morning’s Anzac Day ceremony, attended by several hundred people.
She spoke about her project, exploring how the Anzac spirit helped deliver a multicultural and diverse Australia, as well as the study tour to Greece she went on as part of winning the award.
Bridget then shared her Premier’s Prize-winning poem, recounting the wartime service and tribulations of five generations of her family — all of which contributed to creating a “young, multicultural and free” nation.
With her family originating from the Skipton and Ballarat area, Bridget said proud family members travelled to Swan Hill to share the occasion with her.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (April 27).
