After the three and a half hour bus trip accompanied by Australian Major Andrew O’Donnell, we stopped at a little village, which was the site of the Parit Sulong memorial, near where the massacre of Australians and Indians had occurred. The emotions felt at this historic site made it unforgettable. We laid wreaths as part of our solemn commemoration, and the Australian flag was placed across the plaque.
We hopped back onto the thankfully air-conditioned bus for another three and a half hour trip, crossing through customs and back over the bridge towards Singapore. We competed in a girls vs. boys (plus Chloe, aka ‘Harry’) quiz on World War II – which was split up into two sections; the girls winning the first, and the boys winning the second.
We stopped at the Bollywood Veggie café for lunch – a completely home grown restaurant with an owner who showed us the knife she carried on her belt…something to do with her being a Warrior :D Her story was very interesting indeed!
After the somewhat spicy meal, we headed towards the Kranji Cemetery. This cemetery was different to those at Turkey – the tombstones were upright, and the epitaphs were written differently to those for the soldiers of World War I. We held our commemoration at the Kranji Cemetery by laying wreaths and reciting the Ode, and concluded with the National Anthem.
Arriving back at the Concord, we were happy to munch on our exotic dinner buffet until our stomachs were practically bursting. We then proceeded into a little conference room, where we discussed what we had learnt and enjoyed most about the trip, resulting in the exchange of gifts.
It was a full-on day; well spent as the last full day of our trip. Tomorrow, a luxurious 8.30am wake-up call awaits us before our final day on the Spirit Of ANZAC Prize Study Tour.
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