What a day to end the 2013 Spirit of ANZAC Tour!

What a day to end the 2013 Spirit of ANZAC Tour! Another buffet breakfast made congratulations necessary for Jasmine who has successfully eaten 26 croissants over the past five days. What an achievement! Our first stop in Barendrecht was the town hall, where we were greeted by the Mayor of Barendrecht and the Deputy Ambassador, Sean Sigh of Australia. We were deeply moved when the pupils of Rehoboth performed “Advance Australia Fair”, not only singing but playing an assortment of instruments; from keyboards to the French Horn. It was special to be able to sing alongside them and witness the result of their hard work learning the anthem.

An amazing honour to sit in the Barendrecht Council chambers

 After this we were given a PowerPoint presentation about the reason for our trip, the courage and sacrifice of the late Warrant Officer, Jack Dawson Green. Born in Camberwell, Victoria, in 1923, Jack ran away from home to join the air force at age 15. His parents eventually found him, telling him he could join the air force, when he was 18. Jack was loved not only by his family, but also by his fellow comrades. He was killed on the 17^th of May 1945, after he detoured from his fellow planes to attack an unseen German plane. Unfortunately, a second German plane was camouflaged behind trees, causing his death. Jack’s sacrifice continues to be remembered, commemorated and honored by the students of Rehoboth who tend to his grave, and the community of Barendrecht. We were privileged to visit Jack’s grave with his niece Margaret, where Minister Delahunty, Laura and Cameron laid a wreath. We had a minutes silence to reflect on Jack’s bravery.

A big bunch of beautiful kids! Dutch AND Australian.

Our next stop Rehoboth school, where we were thrilled to be greeted with enthusiasm by the year 8 students, who made a guard of honor and clapped as we entered the building. Both Australian and Dutch students were excited when we had the chance to converse and help them later improve their English. We were impressed by their command of the English language, especially one 12 year old Dutch boy who also had a strong grasp on Aussie humor. When asked what his favourite animal was, he said “a monkey.” When asked if he had a pet he also replied “a monkey.” He finished this sentence with “…it’s my brother!” We eagerly exchanged Australiana souvenirs and email addresses with these young gems.

Laura and some of her new Dutch friends

 

The next event was particularly special for Jack’s niece Margaret, when the school unveiled a sign with Jack’s name on it. This is another symbol of Barendrecht’s refusal to forget Jack’s sacrifice.

David Koch, Minister Delahunty, Margaret and
UN veteran of the Balkans, Dominic Hoogsteder,
during the ceremony

 

Margaret overcome at the naming of the school
playground for her Uncle Jack

 



Our veterans paying respect to a fallen veteran,
Jack Dawson Green

After lunch we visited the memorial for Jack near the crash site at Blaaksedijk. This memorial and nearby street sign further represents this community’s willingness to uphold Jack’s legacy. We laid wreaths, took a minutes silence to remember Jack, heard a poem from a local school girl as well as hearing from Dominic Hoogsteder, an airman himself. It was very to moving to watch the dedication of this town to one of our own boys. One of the things we have reflected on as a group throughout the trip is how hard it was for families to cope with the loss of a loved one when they were buried so far away from home. To see the level of commitment that this town so far away from home has to a Victorian boy is truly inspiring. The most special part of the ceremony was the fly-past of two NA AT6 Harvards of the Historic Flight RNLAF . These two planes retraced the route that Jack flew on that fateful day in 1945.

When the commemorations ended we headed to OorlogsVeerzets Museum in Rotterdam which enhanced our World War II knowledge. As our journey has focused on Australia’s involvement in WWI, it was interesting to delve into WWII.

Kate some two of the clever
Rehoboth students

Our day was ended by a fun final dinner at the ‘De Oude Maas’ pancake house in Barendrecht. (You know you’re on holidays when you get pancakes for breakfast and dinner!) The bus ride home involved singing, back seat dancing and a lot of laughs. Now it’s time to begin the fruitless task of cramming our trip souvenirs into our cases and questioning whether three Turkish Fez hats from the Grand Bazaar were really necessary…

 

The amazing, wonderful and delightfully witty Hans Onderwater
holding court at Rehoboth School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s with sadness that I begin to sign off this blog entry. What an amazing past two weeks it has been. The knowledge we have acquired throughout the journey has not only helped us piece together Australia’s war history, but also to see the personal side of war which a history text book cannot fully divulge. To stand at the grave of an 18 year old who laid down his life for his friends has been both moving an emotional. The bravery displayed by our soldiers has made us proud to be Australian and honored to be able to commemorate such courage. It has also helped to gain a greater perspective of war. From the Turkish memorial at Gallipoli to the German cemetery we visited yesterday, we’ve realized that their mothers grieved in the same way our Aussie mothers did.

The rear plane is a "Wirraway" in which Jack would have trained.
These planes are piloted by airmen, including a retired Air
Commodore, paying respect to a fellow airman.

The whole group would like to thank all the brilliant adults who have accompanied us on this journey. Ben and Belinda, our fantastic teacher chaperones, Tric our amazing tour leader, Bruce our amazingly corny historian (jokes-we love you Bruce! You made the trip!) Anne and Michelle, our wonderful veterans, David, our welcoming parliamentary representative and his wife Jan, as well as Minister Delahunty, his wife Judie and his Chief of Staff, Fiona.

 signing off, Bayley, Tegan, Jasmine, Sarah, Nathan, Cameron, Whitney, Luke, Laura and Kate J


Note from Tric: on our way home now, see you at Tulla!