Two Casey students received top awards for commemorating the Anzac legacy.
Kylinda Zhang, a Year 11 student from Nossal High School, and Mahdia Qasimi, a Hampton Park Secondary College Year 10, were among 12 Victorian secondary students to embark on a 10-day international study tour to Turkey in September through the Spirit of Anzac Prize.
Kylinda curated a short story from the perspective of a Wadawurrung veteran struggling with PTSD, and dived into their experiences working on the Great Ocean Road Memorial.
“When I started researching I realised a lot of the Indigenous people at the time did not receive the recognition after both (WWI and WWII),” she said.
Kylinda wanted to ensure proper representation of a Wadawurring man and his people’s culture, so she “paid attention to the language they used and made sure I didn’t use anything that would not have been appropriate.”
Her short piece was commended as an “emotional story from First Nations perspective and demonstrated understanding of war history”.
Mahdia was one of only two students who opted for a non-written medium to deliver their story, and was applauded for her “first-hand experience of war”.
Her video focused on the absence of memorials and recognition for women in war.
It was inspired by her research as well as the account of a close family member who experienced the impacts of war in Afghanistan.
“When I was researching the World Wars and Anzac, I saw that women had important roles, from raising children to running businesses,” Mahdia said.
“It felt like they have always been ignored like they haven’t been recognised – there aren’t many memorial places for women in war.”
Mahdia, who came to Australia only three years ago, included a painting of her own women’s memorial with her video.
Following her research, her experiences as a refugee, and the kindness of Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers at a camp in Dubai, Mahdia said she one day wanted “join the army, to help people as they helped us”.
Three teachers accompanied the winning students to various historical sites in Istanbul and Cannakkale to learn about the courageous actions of those who fought and died during the Gallipoli campaign.
Veterans Minister Natalie Suleyman said the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize was “an incredible opportunity for Victorian students to explore Australia’s wartime and peacekeeping history”.
Before the trip, Kylinda was looking forward to experiencing new cultures in Turkey and said the experience would “shape my understanding of Anzac and my future perspective of war in general”.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and to see new things but most of all to really honour what the Anzacs did,” she said.
“It’ll be confronting to be exactly where they were and just to think of all these people, even those my age who went and fought.”
Mahdia was on the same page and said being selected for the prize was an honour.
“I feel proud and thankful, especially because it shows the value of courage and sacrifice and their importance,” she said.
– By Ethan Benedicto
