2011 Anzac Commemoration

Our Principal, Ann Rebgetz, had the courtesy and the courage to invite Vietnam Veterans who attended Saint Columban’s College to our commemoration of Anzac Day. This is the first occasion since the Vietnam War that the college had invited us back – almost 50 years since the war started.

As Vietnam Veterans Saint Columban’s is part of our history and we Vietnam Veterans are part of Saint Columban’s history.

The Vietnam War was unique in that it polarised opinion concerning our involvement. Regrettably many of those opposed to our involvement targeted the troops rather than the politicians.

Those events are decades behind us now so perhaps it is time for us to come together.

It appears to have been a well kept secret but Saint Columban’s has a fine military tradition.

Saint Columban’s wasn’t founded until after World War One. For World War Two the tradition appears to have been that we had 220 fellow students who served. 18 of those were killed in action and 10 fellow students were decorated for heroic actions.

Our fellow students won a number of Military Crosses/Medals and the RAAF equivalent the Distinguished Flying Cross.

There has been talk of building a “War Memorial” within the college. In this computer age part of that process could be an online memorial detailing the feats of our fellow students. An example of what could be done is the story of Lieutenant Adrian Roy Doneley, MC (Military Cross). I’m happy to help people research by showing them how things such as the Nominal Rolls work and how to access them online.

As part of our thank you to Ann, Frank, Linda all the other staff and you present day students we presented the 2011 College Captains, Aiden Bernard and Odette Pryor, with a framed Vietnam Veterans’ List, with replica medals typical of what we Vietnam Veterans received.