By Violet Li
Hampton Park Secondary College student Mahdia Qasimi was among the 12 students across Victoria selected for an international study tour in Türkiye as part of the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize.
Students had a 10-day tour during which they learned the courage, service and sacrifice of the Anzacs who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign.
They explored significant sites from the Gallipoli Campaign and participated in an educational program.
They also learned from historians at sites across the Gallipoli peninsula including Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, the beaches of Cape Helles and a newly discovered Australian trench system at Silt Spur.
Coming back from the tour, Mahdia said she felt such an honour to represent her school and represent Australia, and she found the tour really meaningful.
“It’s really different when you just read something, and then you go and visit it and learn more about it,” she said.
Mahdia looked back at the time when she submitted her application. It was not easy, but the process itself meant a lot to her.
“My submission was about women’s role during the war, like how women have such an important role doing the war, but they will always be ignored,” she said.
In her submission, Mahdia also wrote about how she and her family came to Australia about three years ago.
“The Australian army helped us when the government changed in Afghanistan three years ago, so we had to move because it was not safe to live there,” she said.
“The Australian Air Force helped us to leave Afghanistan, then they took us to Dubai and then we stayed at a refugee camp in Dubai for 10 or 12 days.”
Mahdia said when she started the application, it was pretty hard for her to research ANZAC Day, World War I, and World War II.
“It was a lot of work. Other students were born in Australia, and they knew everything about the wars,” she said.
“But I learnt a lot during it. It was really unforgettable.”
