An Upper Hunter student has been selected for a prestigious NSW Government scholarship that will take him to Greece to study Australia’s Second World War history.
Lachlan Cameron, from Scone Grammar School, is one of 18 students from across NSW awarded the Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship this year. Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Veterans David Harris announced the recipients yesterday, with the students formally welcomed at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park alongside Georgios Skemperis, the Consul-General of Greece in Sydney.
The scholarship tour marks the 85th anniversary of the Greek and Crete campaigns of 1941, in which more than 58,000 Allied troops, including significant numbers of Australians from the 6th Division, were deployed to support Greek forces against the Axis invasion. Following the withdrawal from mainland Greece, more than 26,000 Allied troops evacuated to Crete. The campaign came at a heavy cost, with 274 Australians killed, 507 wounded and more than 3,000 taken prisoner.
Lachlan said he was looking forward to seeing the battlefields firsthand and deepening his understanding of Australia’s military history.
“This amazing opportunity means the world to me,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to travelling to Greece to see firsthand Australian Second World War battlefields, learn more and give me a deeper appreciation about our rich military history. It is a great honour for me, my family, my school and local community.”
The tour will run during the Term 3 school holidays, from 26 September to 8 October, and will include commemorations, museum visits and stops at significant historical sites including the battlefields at Tempe and Pinios, the Commonwealth War Graves at Suda Bay, and the 6th Australian Division Memorial at Stavromenos.
More than 200 students from 148 government and non-government secondary schools applied for the scholarship this year, with recipients selected for their academic strength, passion for history and commitment to community engagement.
