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Year 10 students completed a full term of history studies with an excursion based on Robinvale recently. It was marked with perfect weather and a fitting end to some excellent research which has been done by the students. ‘Caught like Rats in a trap’ was a description of the Australian soldiers who grimly defended the shorelines of Tobruk in World War 2. Many took on that depiction and fashioned their own medals depicting a Rat enjoying itself on that shoreline of Tobruk. These soldiers went on to become legends for their tenacity, mateship and the desire to finish a job that was given to them.

Out tour focussed on the soldier settlement blocks of Robinvale. Each road had been researched and each theatre of war was recounted by students as our bus wound its way around the Grape and Avocado district that is modern day Robinvale. A special thankyou to Mr and Mrs Rhoden who operate a dried fruit block in Darwin Road. Here we stopped and heard Mr Dennis Rhoden speak of his family’s history of the area. His own father, Corporal John Alfred Rhoden VX38440, was indeed a Rat of Tobruk and the recipient of one of the highly prized soldier settlement blocks in Robinvale. Lest We Forget.

The finale of the tour was to be lunch in the Robinvale –Euston Memorial Park. A collaboration between the school and the Returned Services League (RSL) president, Mr Brian Handreck, saw the students have a traditional ‘soldiers meal’ in the fantastic setting of our new war memorial park. Miss Emily Knights and her team of students had prepared both a stew and curry with some mashed potatoes for us to eat. So while passing motorists wondered who we were, it was decided by all that the park is a great place to finish our learning in History for term one.

A special thankyou to Leon Johnson and Travis Bussell of the Clontarf Foundation. Their efforts ensured this excursion both went ahead and was a success. And while the veterans that were present observed the students, we all realised the future of ANZAC day and the ANZAC’s rests with these young people. It is very fitting that these students are the first ones to have a meal and some time in our new memorial park.

Peter Hughes