From St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School, Australia
One of the highlights of a crowded Term 1 was the "Courage to Care" exhibition which was held in the Science Centre and the Lecture Theatre in late March. Twelve months work by a team of people from the Raoul Wallenberg Unit of the B'nai B'rith organisation in Melbourne and Mrs. Davidson and Mr. Devling from St. Paul's, resulted in a very fine exhibition. It focused on rescuers during World War II who risked their lives to save the lives of Jewish people who were at risk for no other reason than that they were Jewish. The opening of the exhibition drew nearly 200 people from the broader school community to hear a thought-provoking speech from Professor Colin Tatz of Macquarie University, Sydney. He stimulated thought about the risks taken by those who put their lives on the line and the qualities of those who chose to become rescuers. Extensive research has failed to uncover any universal characteristic, which typifies a rescuer's personality, so each individual case must be taken on its merits. Five rescuers were present at the official opening, all elderly, all seemingly ordinary people, and yet each had made extraordinary sacrifices and shown courage and strength almost beyond imagining. The audience's warm response to each of the rescuers as they were introduced was something to behold. The son of one woman, a frail old lady moving with the aid of a walking frame, said that his mother had never received a reception like this in her life.
Escape to Where, by Jemma Batza
During the week that the exhibition was open, all students from Year 6 to Year 12 at St. Paul's visited the exhibition and heard Holocaust survivors speak movingly of their experiences. Over the course of the exhibition, many favorable comments were made on the way the students responded to the issues raised. Groups of students from six surrounding schools, from as far away as Korumburra, came to the exhibition, and the letters we received from their teachers indicate that the whole experience had an equally powerful impact on their students as well. This exhibition was designed to deepen our school community's understanding of what it means to dare to let your humanity shine through. It also emphasized the great role that individuals must play in promoting tolerance and understanding in Australia. It reinforces the importance of a study of history in our lives so that we can learn the lessons of the past. It is hoped that young people will take up the challenge which was at the heart of the exhibition; that is to be caring, courageous risk takers, to be individuals who stand up for their beliefs and to be young people of integrity.