McCORMACK CONGRATULATES WINNERS OF 13th ANNUAL ANZAC WRITING COMPETITION

Riverina and Central West students are ensuring the bravery of our Veterans and current serving Defence Force Personnel continues to be honoured and remembered, Member for Riverina Michael McCormack says.

More than 650 Primary and Secondary students from around 30 schools across the Riverina electorate submitted entries Mr McCormack’s 13th annual ANZAC writing competition. This year’s theme was “Our ANZAC heroes in the Riverina and Central West.

Mr McCormack thanked the students, teachers and parents for contributing to the competition, which was created so younger generations could directly participate in preserving and continuing to honour the service and sacrifice of defence personnel not only during World Wars I and II, but more recent military operations as well.

“The quality of writing from this year’s entrants is outstanding,” Mr McCormack said.

“From writing about Afghanistan Veteran Nathanael Galagher, to writing from the perspective of a Waler war horse on a rescue mission, to comparing and contrasting the life of a 12-year-old boy in 1914 to now, the winning students have written impressive and inspiring pieces very deserving of a book prize.

“Thank you to all students who submitted an entry this year and to the wonderful teachers and parents who have given their support.

“We must never forget the service and sacrifice of our those who have served and continue to serve in the military to uphold the democracy and freedoms our nation holds so dear.”

Every student who submitted an entry will receive a participation certificate featuring a watermark of the front cover of this year’s annual ANZAC Day commemorative booklet, produced by Mr McCormack, which will arrive in letterboxes across the electorate in the coming weeks.

Entries were put into Primary and Secondary categories, with the Riverina electorate divided into North, South, East and West divisions.

Each of the 16 winning and highly commended entries will be published in the 52-page booklet, which also contains fascinating articles of the extraordinary deeds of ordinary Riverina and Central West men and women who went to war. These 16 students will also receive a book prize from the Australian War Memorial.

The booklet also contains all the ANZAC Day service times from locations across the Riverina and Central West.

Primary schools winning book prize recipients

Khristina Caputo, 11, Year 6, Temora Public School

Lexie Finn, 10, Year 5, Forbes North Public School

Amy Manwaring, 11, Year 6, Jugiong Public School

Ceinwein Milton, 10, Year 5, North Wagga Public School

Primary schools highly commended book prize recipients

Harriet Dowling, 10, Year 5, Matong Public School

Keira O’Grady, 11, Year 6, Sturt Public School, Wagga Wagga

Jasper Rui, 9, Year 3, St Patrick’s Primary School, Gundagai

Samara Wood, 11, Year 5, Parkes East Public School

Secondary schools winning book prize recipients

Cybele Hewitt, 16, Year 11, Hennessy Catholic College, Young

Sam Koop, 14, Year 9, West Wyalong High School

Frank McMahon, 12, Year 7, Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes

Alannah Smith, 12, Year 7, Wagga Wagga High School

Secondary schools highly commended book prize recipients

Charles Best, 15, Year 10, Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes

Isabel Fairman, 13, Year 8, St Anne’s Central School, Temora

Rylee Robb, 13, Year 8, Gundagai High School

Angus Tait, 13, Year 7, Wagga Wagga Christian College