By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
BEACONHILLS College Year 10 student Madison Schenk is taking a custom-made quilt to Turkey this Anzac Day as part of the Gallipoli 2015 dawn service Victorian Government tour group.
“I applied in April 2014, and found out in September. I was surprised, in disbelief, and extremely excited,” Madison said.
Along with 80 students from Victoria and 400 from around the world, Madison jumped on the plane on Monday 20 April.
She returns on Tuesday 28 April.
“When I found out I was selected to go, I joined the quilting club at school because they were planning on making Anzac centenary quilts,” she said.
Once in Turkey, Madison can choose who she gives the quilt to. A part of the tour group was to write to a pen pal in Turkey and Madison said she had enjoyed exchanging emails with a school girl in Turkey.
“We have a lot in common, and I’m really looking forward to meeting her. At the moment I am planning to give the quilt to her school, Gelibolu Andadolu Lesesi.
Madison said the quilt took a few weeks to make and couldn’t have been done without students giving up their lunch times.
“The quilt that I’m taking is quite special, written on the panels is names of ancestors that were involved in WWI and its green and gold to represent Australia,” she said.
Madison said she had a special spot for the quilt in her luggage and was very excited to witness the centenary of Anzac dawn service.
“It’s the trip of a lifetime, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do, to explore the war history in Turkey. When I saw the trip advertised I knew I wanted to apply, it was something I couldn’t miss out on,” she said.
Madison has four relatives who were involved in WWI and one that served in Gallipoli and said they would be in her thoughts on Saturday 25 April as she watched the sun rise.
