NEWS FROM GRAMMAR 2015

After some lovely days in Istanbul we headed to Gallipoli. We visited
important military sites such as Plugges Plateau, the Sphinx, John
Simpson’s grave, Lone Pine and Shrapnel Valley. We also went to the
ruins of Troy and the Cimenlik naval museum. At Anzac Cove I was
chosen to lay a wreath which was an incredible honour and one I
shall never forget.
The Dawn service was very emotional and thought provoking. It was
a humbling experience to be on the shores of Anzac Cove, 100 years
after the landing by ANZAC forces and then later beside the pine tree
at the Lone Pine Ceremony.
After an emotional week in Gallipoli we travelled back to Istanbul and
visited the Blue Mosque, the Artas Bazaar, the Chora Museum, the
Suleymaniye Mosque and had a very sad last meal together before
we returned home.
An ex-army officer named Colonel David Greilson travelled with us.
He gave us some final advice that I would like to share with you. He
told us that if we ever hear anyone saying “let’s go celebrate Anzac
Day”, that we should quietly say that celebrate is the wrong word.
We do not celebrate that dreadful war or the ones that followed,
we commemorate and quietly reflect on and respect the soldiers
sacrifice.
When I first won this competition I was completely unaware of the
fantastic experience I would have. I had no way of knowing the close
friendships that would form between the Tasmanian group and the
Canberra group with whom we travelled. I was not prepared for the
intense emotions I would feel at Anzac Cove. Photos can only show
so much but actually standing and looking at the steep cliffs the
ANZACs were faced with gave me an even deeper respect for the
soldiers and a bigger understanding of the tragedy of war. I am so
lucky to have had the opportunity to go on this trip as I have learnt so
much about both the history of Turkey and WW1 and gained so many
close friendships that I hope will last me my whole life.
Rachel Gregory
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