In the last week of Term Three, our Shrine of Remembrance 'Young Ambassador' Sofia Castello 9SILO visited Sydney as part of her leadership program. Here are some reflections and photos from Sofia on her day in Sydney.

The entire trip was such a fantastic day and an incredible educational experience. The flights to and from Sydney were a nice chance to talk to one another. It was a highlight to get to learn more about the other ‘Young Ambassadors' as the plane resounded with laughter and excitement.

After our flight, our first stop was the stunning Anzac War Memorial at Hyde Park. The Anzac Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument located in Hyde Park South near Liverpool Street in the CBD of Sydney. One feature of this memorial was the marble walls that list all the towns in NSW where men had enlisted from for World War One. You could tell that each of the towns was immensely proud of those who had enlisted and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Another memorable experience from Hyde Park was the information we received about the nurses during the war. It included a performance on the history of Matron Alice Cashins' medals and badges, as well as viewing Sister Mary 'Marjorie' Marr's autograph book. Overall, my first visit to Hyde Park was a really remarkable one.

The Australian Museum was our final stop of the day, where we learned about Aboriginal culture and the history of various survival tools like spears and shields, as well as how the sizes and shapes of these items varied across different tribes. 

We were soon returning home on a flight flight to Melbourne, exhausted, yet enthralled by everything we had seen and done in a single day.