We don't leave for Gallipoli until 1 April, but today at the Shrine of Remembrance the Study Tour group was officially announced as the winners of this year's prize by Premier Baillieu. Lots of photos, lots of proud parents, lots of excitement as we learned about the itinerary from Monash Uni Professor Bruce Scates.
That's us in the photo (if you look reaaaaaally closely), from L to R, Minister Delahunty, Jayden, Gracie, Cara, Bennett, Madeleine, Zahn, Sachdave, Georgia, Kate and Chloe.... and the Premier.
DAY 1 - SINGAPORE
We're here!! After a lot of hugs, kisses, farewell hand shakes and back patting from VERY proud mums, dads, nannas, aunties and assorted family members, we set off for Singapore, armed with snack bags from Alexis. Lots of fun on the plane pressing every single button on our individual screens and handsets and watching as many free movies as we could before landing in Singapore.
At Singapore Airport, the tiredness set in, but some of us managed to snooze before heading back on board to fly to Istanbul. Not a lot of sleep had (see above, pressing buttons and watching movies takes a lot of energy) but we're now in our hotel in the Sultanahamet area of the old city, having some time to freshen up and getting ready to head out for a cruise of the Bosphorous. Life's sweet!
DAY 2 - ISTANBUL -
WRITTEN BY JAYDEN MIFSUD
G’day mate. A lovely wake up at 7:00am got us up to the brilliant chilly weather of Istanbul in spring. After a delicious continental Turkish breakfast, while enjoying our 6”5 companion’s shirt saying ‘Giraffes united against ceiling fans’, which we found out later that Maddy laughed at although she didn’t get the joke until 5 hours later, we headed off to the Blue Mosque which I’m sure I can say that we all couldn’t get over the sheer size and the amazing feeling to be inside a functioning mosque. Upon exiting the mosque we saw our next destination, the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya). The history and amazing stories that our tour guide revealed to us were so intriguing and we were all captivated by the 56m high ceiling main dome.
After an enormous and delightful three course meal at the Omar Restaurant Café, we headed down to the Yerebatan Cistern. It was interesting getting wet and damp in such cold and foreign weather, but the architecture had such amazing, intricate features that not even Chloe could distract us with her very animated anticipation for the upcoming shopping trip to the Grand Bizarre.
The Grand Bizarre was an unforgettable and ever so slightly stressful experience, after being warned about pick-pocketers, bartering and being ripped off. After I found my Turkish flute (which I will be sure to annoy everyone on the bus with tomorrow), my fez and spending 150 TL we headed for yet another 3 course meal at the Panoramic restaurant, which had an incredible view of this strange and yet magnificent and breath taking city. We then all trudged tiredly back to our hotel, enjoying a good laugh on the way quoting and recapping the funny highlights of the day.
It’s late at night, and I can’t help laughing at nearly everything anyone says, and I need sleep. Tomorrow we have a long trip ahead of and a 6am wake up for a 5 hour bus ride to Gallipoli. Goodnight mates!
WRITTEN BY CHLOE SCOTT
It was an early start this morning as we all woke to travel 5 hours by bus to Gallipoli, the part of the tour we were all especially excited for! When we arrived at Ari Burnu Cemetery many of us went quiet. There was just so much to take in of this truly peaceful place and words were unnecessary at this time.
We then made our way to the top where we found the most spectacular view of the Gallipoli Peninsula. The climb up helped us appreciate and understand on a whole new level, the hardship soldiers faced with getting up these ridges. A short hike later and we were overlooking Shrapnel Valley, the Sphinx and Quinn’s Post. Almost right in front of us was the Razor Back Ridge which is certainly true to its name. The readings we had on the ridge, by Gracie, Sachdave and Bennett, helped us picture in our minds what this area was like in the time of WW1.
Our last Adopt a Digger for the day was by Georgia at the Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. All of our ‘Adopt a Digger’ commemorations and readings were so moving and brought the many tragic losses closer to home.
Gallipoli is such an amazingly moving and beautiful place and I can’t wait to explore the next sites tomorrow!
DAY 4 - GALLIPOLI -
WRITTEN BY MADDY TICKLE
Sitting here, trying to write this is actually quite hard. I feel kind of like an ANZAC would have, how they would struggle to describe this place to their families back home. Gallipoli is indescribable. It’s beautiful beach, amazing landscape and remarkable views are things I can tell easily you about. But what I can’t explain is the feeling of seeing all the graves, of reading the epitaphs, and how when after reading the Ode and listening to the last post, George Logan, a veteran, a man who has been there, simply says, “good job, cobber”, you can’t help but get watery eyes. Because that is what this place does to you. It makes it real.
Today we had our commemoration service at Lone Pine. The Australian Consul was nice enough to come and it was a very moving ceremony. First we had our ‘adopt a digger’ speeches from Gracie, Bennett, Kate and myself. They were all beautifully presented (if I do say so myself) and a great way to finish them off was our group singing of Waltzing Matilda. Not always in tune, but a bloody good try. We signed the visitor’s book, before starting the ceremony. Don introduced it, followed by some readings from some of us students, the teachers, the veterans and Tric. There was some lovely singing of Amazing Grace by Cara, and an amazing version of Flanders Fields by Georgia. The Consul, John and George lay the wreath, before our ceremony came to a close. Lone Pine is a beautiful cemetery. It commemorates the missing, and those buried there.
We visited a few cemeteries today, we went to the Nek, Shell Green and the 57th Regiment Cemetery, which is for the Turkish. I believe that was one of the most important cemeteries we will visit. War was just as bad for them as it was for us. In fact, the 57th regiment came out of the battle of the landing with only 22 still alive.
We were told when we were visiting the New Zealand Cemetery that we were to have a very solemn mood. So that’s how we were feeling when we got off the bus, however, when we got to the entrance to the cemetery, Bennett, Chloe, Zahn, Sachdave, Jayden and Alexis stood in front of us for a very serious presentation. So boy, was it a bloody big shock when they broke out into the Hakka.
This sounds like a pretty sad day, visiting cemeteries over and over. But the people here are just hilarious. We have been singing non-stop, laughing about everything and becoming best friends. Bennett taught me how to skim a rock today, and I can proudly say I skimmed a rock from a barge in the sea at ANZAC Cove. That’s something you can’t do every day.
George sang us some very cute songs today, to cap off his hilarious faces. Is it obvious that I am loving every minute???
Anyway, early start tomorrow, I don’t want to be tired for the big day.
Maddy.
P.S THE FOOD HERE IS AMAZING!!!!
DAY 5 - GALLIPOLI, SUVLA, KRITHIA AND MORE -
WRITTEN BY ZAHN GANE
I reckon I can say we have had a jam packed day. First up we had a quick stop at Lone Pine Memorial where we took a sort of tracing of the names on the walls and I also left a veterans association banner at the shrine on behalf of Geelong. From there we went up to Chunuk Bair (which we all had fun trying to pronounce) and had a look at where the New Zealanders fought and took the hill. George also made friends with a dog that seemed to enjoy his cheese and biscuits. From there we went to a house in a small village where the great Turkish leader, Ataturk was based.
It was good fun watching Bennett try to get through the door that was about half a foot too small for him. We then drove about 20 minutes for a quick stop at the Hill 10 memorial and then continued on to the rusting wreck of a landing craft. By this stage we were all pretty hungry so we went back for a lunch of fish as it is Good Friday. After lunch we headed for Cape Helles and saw the British Memorial. It had a huge tower in the middle of it which impressed me. Then we went to the French Memorial to pay our respects. It was interesting that they had crosses and not headstones; and they were made out of barb wire pickets.
We continued on to the official Turkish memorial where there was a huge 41.7 Meter monument that overlooked the Dardanelles.
And we finished up by visiting the Redoubt memorial.
When we got back everyone but Kate, Dave and me went for a swim at the beach. They got back to a hilariously funny poem written by George.
It has been a busy day and I am not looking forward to the early start tomorrow.
DAY 6 - CANAKKALE -
WRITTEN BY GEORGIA LEE
What a marvelous day!! Early morning we were up and at ‘em on our way to Canakkale. The farewell was beautiful from the lovely Kum Hotel where we gave the staff a book which all of us had signed. The trip seemed to go quickly (I am unsure of how long it actually was all thanks to the brilliant Bruce and Jayden’s Ipod!)
We all loved the ferry ride across the Dardanelles and by the time we reach the College we were all buzzing with excitement. The 17 students from the College were nice straight away and eager to test their English on us. (It’s pretty scary how good they are). Basically all round they were aged 15 to 16 years old. It certainly didn’t surprise us that we all got along like ‘houses on fire’.
After being assigned to our own students (I got two bubbly girls…a few others had 1 or 3 students) we jumped on the bus and went straight to Troja or TROY!!! Ancient Troy to see the walls and be given the story about why the buildings are the way they are from our knowledgeable tour guide Bitz we were able to learn so very much about the city, its facts and fiction in relation to Homer’s ‘The Iliad”. It was so clear to see the civilization…and its levels. Ohhh!!! I must must mention that Cara and I performed on the Odeon (like an ancient Greek stage!) as did the brilliant George and a couple other Turkish girls. We all could see quite clearly where the amateur architect Schlieman had cut through the levels and mixed a few of them up. Walking around Troy was amazing and before we left we managed to get a few gifts for friends and climb up with the Turkish students into the giant Trojan horse on display.
With our new found friends we headed back to the school for lunch we caught a glimpse of the schooling system here in Turkey. As gifts I certainly say that us Aussies think alike for we all had pencils and koalas and stickers for all the students (and of course the kangaroo key rings from Jayden)!! The gifts presented by the government were quite lovely indeed. They were presented a footy (AFL football that is) and a few books about Australia (including one about cooking!). (btw: they have a Zoo at their school!!!)
After lunch we all got back on the bus and headed down to the town were we went to a Navy Museum (on this boat!!). The stories about the Strait were told through a voice over, a diorama and projector. It was fascinating. Singing at the top of our lungs all of the Australian songs we could think of we headed back to our hotels…just to put our bags away before we were off again. Together as a group we explored the city, the students took us to this park and a market (more shopping!) and we took many many photos before returning to the hotel for dinner.
We are currently at dinner and afterwards we are meeting up with the students again to explore the city for another hour and a half. It is very very exciting to see a Turkish town/city from these local youth perspectives.
Evdeki herkese selamlar!...(Hi to everyone at home!) Georgia Lee
DAY 7 - BACK TO ISTANBUL -
WRITTEN BY BENNETT HARRISON
Well here we are at the halfway point. It was only when two girls arrived at our door this morning with chocolate eggs that Zahn and I realized it was Easter; thanks Gracie and Cara. Today was spent mostly in transit from the Hotel Helen in Çanakkale back to Istanbul. The first part of the bus trip was spent as we have come to spend most bus trips – enthusiastic group singing. Alas we were not treated to George’s rendition of "Mairzy Doats" which I proclaim, on behalf of the tour, is our official group song. A brief lunch stop en route almost became the final resting place of Maddy when she attempted to down a chili. Based on her reaction the casual observer could safely conclude that the chili was ‘a bit hot.’ The second half of our bus trip proved a lot quieter. Evidently (much to the teachers’ relief) no amount of enthusiasm will last 5 hours in a bus and most of us fell asleep.
On reaching Istanbul we were let free to roam the Spice Market. By far the most crowded area we have been in, one struggled to forge a path through the sea of people, let alone stop and browse. The smell of all the colorful seasonings and spices laid out at each stall was particularly exotic and it reminds you that you are truly in a different country. One can never shop too much in Istanbul, the girls on the tour claim, and our next destination was the main shopping district of Istanbul, Taksim Square. Taksim square is home to more ‘Western’ style shops where, unfortunately, bartering isn’t usually accepted. None the less we managed to spend some liras. After a beautiful dinner at the classiest restaurant of the tour we returned to the Eresin Hotel. The hotel has a distinct smell in the lobby and it was like coming home again. Tomorrow we spend more time on the plane as we head off to Singapore. So wipe away your tears mothers, we’re past the halfway point and homeward bound.
-Bennett Harrison
NOTE FROM TRIC: as you can see, we will be in the air tomorrow night, so alas no blog update until Monday night at the earliest.
DAY 8 - TOPKAPI PALACE AND GOODBYE TURKEY -
WRITTEN BY GRACIE OSTAPIW
Hello and goodbye from the land of Turkish Delight! It’s Day 9 on the 2012 SOAP Tour; however, high-energy levels are still not wavering. After a pleasant 7am wakeup call (relatively luxurious compared to that of days gone by) we were up and at em’. Sadly, the warm-ish weather we had become accustomed to in Turkey didn’t hold up for our final day; it was raining drearily, and the wind had a nasty bite to it as we made our way from the Eresin Crown Hotel to the beautiful Topkapi Palace. The weather matched our emotional moods somewhat too, as today would also be the day that we bid Turkey, and our highly-knowledgeable and beloved tour guide, Bitz Kuranel, bon chance and bon voyage.
Topkapi Palace, to me, can only be described as dreamlike. It wasn’t as beautiful or stunning as the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sofia by any measure, but it did have a fairy-tale like charm (sans the armed soldiers who stood guard by the entrance). As we strolled through its cobbled park the mist rolled and the rain continued to drizzle, but, little did we know of the beauty it would hold inside its inscribed marble doors. Quite frankly, I felt like I was at Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue as opposed to a Sultan- era Turkish Palace! The exhibition halls were laden with exquisite jewels and various other treasures. Girl/pirate heaven!
Anyhow, onwards with the show and we found ourselves on the tour bus on our way to the Ataturk Airport. On our final bus drive through Istanbul, we were lucky enough to be graced by Don, reading a well-received poem reflecting on our Turkish experience. Afterwards the moment we had all been dreading arrived- saying good-bye to Bitz made us all a bit tearful as it felt as though we were leaving a fellow SOAPie (as she fondly called us) behind. I’m sure if we had the skills we would have smuggled her all through Singapore and back to Australia with us.
I’m currently writing this blog on a turbulence filled Singapore Airlines flight and I must say I’m shaking in my boots (pardon the pun). So I’m off now and I hope this blog post finds you happy and healthy. Until we meet again! :-)
Note from Tric - We're all safely at the hotel in Singapore, but sorely underslept. It's that potent mix of no sleep plus excitement at being in a new town. So, the next 4 hours ('til about noon in Victoria) we're off the air and in snooze land.
DAY 9 - SINGAPORE -
WRITTEN BY SACHDAVE SINGH
At 1 pm, we set out to fill our grumbling tummies with some mouth watering cuisine. We dined at a Siamese restaurant and were beyond satisfied. We did some light shopping and strolling around the mall. We returned to the hotel to freshen up due to the humid weather and went out for dinner. That same restaurant was our choice and it didn't let us down.
Then came the highlight and the most anticipated part of the day; the Singapore Zoo Night Safari. At 7pm, we boarded the bus heading north of Singapore toward the zoo. Once there, we boarded the tram and enjoyed what nature had to offer. Not only did we experience the lush rainforests, we also witnessed dozens of majestic animal species ranging from the Malayan Tiger to the Asian Elephant. We were simply mesmerized.
Good night/ Selamat malam.
DAY 10 - SINGAPORE - SILOSO, BUKIT CHANDHU AND THE BATTLE BOX -
WRITTEN BY KATE MADDERN
Today was the fateful day that we used Bruce’s “Tardis Time Machine” and jumped from Wolrd War I to World War II. Today we had our introduction to World War II, particularly what happened in Singapore.
We started our day at a leisurely nine a.m., which is a lot better than some of the times that we have had to be on the bus by. Our first stop was the scenic cable car ride across to Sentosa Island. I certainly could not think of a better way to spend twenty minutes than being held across a large gap by one wire in a glass box. We had a really nice view of the city and the rainforest below us.
When we finally arrived at Sentosa Island we caught the island bus and tram up to Fort Siloso. This was a fort used in World War II when Singapore was under attack which had been converted into a museum. The tunnel system which was used for stores, living arrangements and headquarters. They gave us an insight into the lead up to the surrender of Singapore. One of the particularly interesting exhibits was the Surrender room, where it was a recreation of the Allies surrendering to Japan and then Japan surrendering to the Allies to end the war in the Pacific. After the Fort Siloso, we had lunch at at restaurant right on one of Sentosa Island’s beaches. The food was delicious, with dessert being a particular highlight for most.
After lunch we got back on the bus and headed for Bukit Chandu. Bukit Chandu was the second last battle before Singapore surrendered. Here the Malayan soldiers fought a gallant battle, before being beaten back by the Japanese. We watched a brilliant presentation of the Japanese troops taking a small village near Bukit Chandu. It was extremely life like, with being able to feel vibrations that were caused by the shells, and the screams of the civilians. It brought home to us that this was an horrendous war, even though it is not as well-known as Gallipoli.
From Bukit Chandu we headed to the Battle Box. This was used as a communications center by the Allies after they were forced to re-locate from the Siam Road headquarters. Similar to Fort Siloso, it has be opened for public viewing. The rooms had been set up with displays like they were in 1942. Here a highlight was an audio – visual presentation of the meeting when the officers decided to surrender.
Today we were given a really good orientation of what happened in Singapore in 1942.We now understand what the lead to the surrender. We understand why the Allies had to surrender. We understand what happened to the civilians during the occupation. This understanding can only help us to value more what the ANZACs did for us for the opportunities that we have today.
DAY 11 - PARIT SULONG AND THE KRANJI CEMETERY -
WRITTEN BY CARA WIDDICOMBE
Zzz… a 5.30am wake up call caused sleepy bed-head students to trudge towards the breakfast banquet of the Concord Hotel in Singapore. We were formally dressed in our polo ANZAC shirts as we boarded the bus, bound for Malaysia.
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.
DAY 12 - CHANGI AND THE JOHORE BATTERY -
WRITTEN BY DON KILGOUR
There was no truth in the rumour that there were a few odd bods around the Concord Hotel in Singapore this morning, dressed in white hotel dressing gowns, and wearing red fez hats that were purchased in Istanbul. These people were seen to be passing out red poppies to the local inhabitants. However, it is only a rumour.
Well the final day of the Spirit of Anzac Study Tour dawned in the usual hot Singapore fashion. Considering some of the crew chose to stay up talking until late, it was just as well that breakfast was scheduled for 9am. The usual hearty meal was enjoyed and the group returned to their rooms to start the packing or, should I say, the cramming. There was a bit of swapping of goods by those who were obviously going to have luggage overweight at the airport.
Midday in the lobby was chaotic as the whole group prepared to board the coach for the final tour of the cleanest and most impressive city of Singapore. We toured the city area and saw the most modern and incredible buildings. Our guide gave us a good understanding of the development of the city, especially since the end of the Second World War.
We arrived at Changi, which was where thousands of Allied soldiers were held prisoner and treated horribly by the Japanese. We held a commemoration service to remember those who died or were in prison. The students were then able to look through the museum.
The Spirit of Anzac Prize Study Tour was a resounding success. It was well organized, well staffed and well presented.
Above all the students showed by their behaviour and interest that they were proud to be Spirit of Anzac Prize winners.
Don Kilgour
Tour Leader
