Dimboola Memorial Secondary College

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the unceded lands on which this place stands – Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik people – and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.

When driving into the School, at the entrance is the first tree along the Avenue of Honour.

This tree is planted in honour of Arthur Anderson.

Arthur was a farmer, working on a property in Dimboola when the War broke out.

He was among the first from Dimboola to volunteer.

And he was also among the first to perish.

He would enlist on August 19, 1914 – in fact, the 110th anniversary of his enlistment falls next week.

On June 28th, 1915, Arthur Anderson was stationed at a place called ‘Steele’s Post’, close to ANZAC Cove.

Steele’s Post was described as a steep niche, "of which the top was a sheer landslide of gravel where a man could scarcely climb on his hands and knees."

On that day in June, Arthur Anderson was shot in the back and the neck.

A little under two weeks later, he succumbed to his injuries in Egypt.

The Dimboola that Arthur left over a century ago is much different to the Dimboola today.

Yet there are continuities in small towns and in rural communities that means this School continues to honour those from times past (times when this town and this State were new) who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This School simultaneously brings the legacy of those past to those here now, the community and its continuities as well as the chance for new experiences.

When we look back on the legacy – the legacy of a person like Arthur Anderson – it’s a commitment to peace, a commitment to ensuring that the next generation never has to face the same horrors.

The school’s motto is, “Facta non Verba”, or “deeds, not words”.

Dimboola’s community truly upheld this motto by dedicating their Memorial School to future generations.

Honouring the past means shaping a future for the next generation that carries forward their courage and sacrifice.

And it's those values and the commitment to deeds over words that brings us here today, 100 years after Dimboola Memorial High School moved to this site.

It is a great pleasure to come here, to speak with you and to hear these stories of this place.

And it’s a particular privilege to dedicate a plaque to a School with such a rich history and heritage.

I want to thank the students that have taken the time to be here, despite it being a pupil free day.

Having met with you today, I feel the future is in safe hands.

Thank you.