It has been a busy few weeks for the Defence Community of RVSSC.  Following on from the Battle of Fromelles commemoration, Ripley Valley State Secondary College attended the Korean War Veterans 71^st Anniversary of the Armistice at the Ipswich Sub Branch RSL.

KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

The commemoration was attended by surviving Korean War veterans, along with special guests Mr Hyunseong Shin, the head of the Korean Consulate, CAPT Chaitanya Gunturi of the 6^th Engineer Support Regiment and the QLD Korean Traditional Drum and Dance Association.

As the Korean War ran between WW2 and the Vietnam War, (1950 – 1953), it is sometimes referred to as the ‘forgotten war’. It became one of the most destructive conflicts in modern history, ruining the country’s economy and amassing a death toll of approximately 3 million people.

Over 17,000 Australians served during the Korean War, of which 340 were killed and over 1,216 wounded. A further 30 had become prisoners of war.

One of our Defence students, Lucy Day, laid a wreath on behalf of the college, to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of those Australians soldiers who fought in Korea.  This commemoration is of special significance for Lucy and her family. Lucy’s  Great Grandfather, Warrant Officer Class 2 Ronald James Porto BEM, served with 1 Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in Korea from June 1952 until February 1953.  

D Company, 1^st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Korea 

DEFENCE WEEK

In week three, we held our third RVSSC Defence Week.  This is an opportunity to highlight our ADF, and some of the lesser-known roles.

This year, the focus was on Animals in the ADF. 

The week kicked off with our senior assembly and a presentation from Sgt Milovankic, a dog handler from the RAAF Security and Fire School, who spoke about the raising, training and general care of the Military Working Dogs

Students were asked Defence Trivia Questions through the week, with lolly prizes for the correct answers, and a visual display in our library allowed students to learn about the different roles animals have had throughout the history of the Australian Defence Force, and earlier, in the Australian Imperial Force

The highlight of the week was a visit from Penny and Vernon, the two camel mascots from 9 Force Support Battalion, who popped in to the school for a visit. All students were able to come and say hello to our very chilled out guests, and learn more about the role camels have play in our military history.

I would like to convey a sincere thankyou to all of the ADF staff who took time out of their busy schedule to assist me in delivering, what hopefully, was a fun and informative week, learning about a different aspect of our Defence Force.                  

                                                                                             

 THE POPPY PROJECT

Calling all crochet enthusiasts!  If you enjoy a spot of crocheting, or maybe you know someone who does, and are looking for a small project, I am looking to collect as many poppies as possible to create a ‘Poppy Waterfall’ that can be displayed at the college.  This is a long-term project, which I am hoping to get up and running over the next year.

If you are interested in crocheting poppies, they can be dropped off by students at the Student Support Services (SSS) in J Block. 

 Poppies crocheted by one of our students.