By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A YOUNG soldier carrying a fallen mate on his shoulder would have been a regular sight on the battlefields during World War I.
And that sense of compassion and mateship lives on as a Pakenham school welcomes a sentimental mural to honour the recent Anzac centenary.
On Friday 24 April, Member for Gembrook Brad Battin unveiled Beaconhills College’s ceramic mural depicting the Anzac Diggers at Gallipoli.
Created by local artist Robert Matheson, the mural illustrates the compassion shown by soldiers to each other despite their terrible circumstances at war.
“I spent days googling images of Gallipoli searching for the right one. There were other striking images – such an Australian soldier giving a Turkish soldier a drink,” Mr Matheson said.
But he believed the one he finally chose “said it all about compassion”.
He started work on the mural in late January, meticulously rolling out each tile, sculpting the design then firing them to eventually compile the finished piece.
Mr Battin attended the college’s Anzac Day service before the ceremony to launch the mural.
The college’s Berwick Campus was also one of 500 schools across the state to take part in the National Trust of Australia’s Gallipoli Oaks Project.
During the Anzac commemoration, staff and students planted an oak tree seedling which was grown from an acorn descended from trees in Gallipoli.
Chairman of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Dr Graeme Blackman said the planting of the 500 oaks would create enduring, living memorials in schools across Victoria.
“Our project demonstrates the Trust’s and the community’s commitment to the passing on of the Gallipoli history from generation to generation, as well as teaching an important environmental message about caring for our significant trees,” he said.
