A St Ignatius student has received the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize for his poem inspired by the Drysdale War Memorial.
Year 10 student Owen McCoughtry was awarded the prize for his work The Drysdale Cenotaph: Honouring Mateship, Honouring Community.
Minister for Veterans Natalie Suleyman and Member for Bellarine Alison presented Owen with the award on Monday, August 19 at a ceremony at Parliament House.
Owen said he was shocked when he found out he would be awarded the prize, which was inspired by members of his family who fought or served in non-combat roles for Australia across three generations.
“The poem is about recognising the people who came back from war and were unrecognised,” he said.
Owen is one of 12 secondary students from across the state to receive the Spirit of Anzac Prize.
The 12 prize winners will travel to Turkey for a 10-day study tour in September, visiting significant historical sites in Istanbul and Çanakkale.
The tour will give the other prize winners the opportunity to learn more about the role of the Anzacs during the Gallipoli campaign.
Owen said he was “very excited” to be heading to Turkey in September.
“It’s a great opportunity to deepen my understanding of Australian and world history,” Owen said.
“It’s all about going and seeing historical sites, internationally important sites. It’s really incredible, it’ll be a great learning experience and hopefully a lot of fun as well.”
Ms Marchant said the study tour to Turkey was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I congratulate Owen from St Ignatius College for his thoughtful submission and recognising Bellarine’s local veterans,” she said.
