DRIVING rain could not stop the planting yesterday of an avenue of honour at Brauer College commemorating members of Australia’s armed services who were killed in war.
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The ceremony was held as part of the school’s NAIDOC Week celebrations and commemorated both indigenous and non-indigenous Australian armed services members killed in war.
Warrnambool Aboriginal elder Robbie Lowe senior joined Warrnambool RSL sub-branch president John Miles in planting a tree for the avenue that runs parallel to Caramut Road.
They were joined by two indigenous servicemen, Sergeant Ricky Morris and Warrant Officer Don Taylor, to further highlight the war service of indigenous people.
Both men spoke to Brauer’s year 7 students yesterday about their war service and their Aboriginal history.
Mr Lowe senior also read a poem his grand-daughter had written about the opening of a memorial in 2010 on Warrnambool’s Cannon Hill dedicated to Aboriginal servicemen and women.
Yesterday’s ceremony followed another NAIDOC event at Brauer earlier in the week at which three indigenous year 7 students performed an Acknowledgement to Country in the local Peek Wurrong Aboriginal language to the whole school.
Brauer’s Koori education leader Will King said female indigenous pupils at Brauer also crocheted poppies to commemorate the war dead.
Some of the poppies will be displayed later in the year at a Remembrance Day ceremony at Melbourne’s Federation Square.