Awardee reflection - Rhys Heinrich

 

An Unforgettable Service

Walking off the bustling streets of Hanoi, into a quiet room of the hotel, the ANZAC Day service marked the most significant moment of the trip for me. 

Unlike any service I’ve attended before on the Yorke Peninsula, I’m in a room with what seemed like random strangers on the first day, to soon becoming family, listening to the song ‘I was only 19’. It was through this song that I was able to really reflect on the trip so far as a whole, what you’ve seen, what you’ve experienced, but most importantly, to commemorate and appreciate the sacrifices of our fellow Australian servicemen and women, not just in Vietnam, but throughout any war we were and still are involved in. Even after the ceremony, as we were talking, we could all agree upon one thing. 

That this small ceremony has easily been the most impactful and heartfelt ANZAC Day ceremony we have attended, and one that will stay with us for a long time to come.

I’m grateful for this entire experience, the places we’ve been, the people that I’ve met. Living on a farm and attending a small country town with around six classmates, I was quite excited to meet 19 other amazing people from around SA. 

This reality came true as soon as we had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City when we finally got down and relaxed together. 

A huge thank you to Aaron, Tracey, Adam, Lara, and Rebecca. The work that has gone into such a smooth sailing trip has been tremendous, for us as the students to enjoy and take in every detail of Vietnam has been amazing. 

Another huge thanks to Dennis, our RSL member. The time that has gone into every event on the trip has been astonishing, from the memorable solider presentation to the sharing of your war badges. 

From past years, I’ve heard people say, ”talk to your RSL member, the knowledge that they share from their experiences is outstanding,” and this is exactly what I have found.