Poppy planting fills Anzac Gardens

More than 1,000 paper poppies, created by local school children, have been planted in the newly named Anzac Gardens, to commemorate Anzac Day in the City of Gosnells.

Mayor Terresa Lynes joined Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Member for Burt Matt Keogh at Southern Grove Primary School, where students were making some of the poppies.

The paper flowers were later planted in Anzac Gardens by City of Gosnells Councillor and ex-servicewoman Kylie Dalton, alongside students from Wirrabirra Education Support Centre.

Other participating schools included Ashburton Drive, Beckenham, Caladenia, East Kenwick, Sacred Heart and Wirrabirra primary schools as well as Rehoboth Christian College.

“Creating and planting poppies has been a special way for local school children to connect with the Anzac spirit,” Mayor Lynes said.

“Everyone who attended the annual Anzac Day commemorations would have seen the bright red poppies scattered across the lawn, helping to ensure these traditions remain significant across generations.”

Wirrabirra Education Support Centre teacher Darran Wilson said students had been learning about the significance of Anzac Day and exploring Anzac Gardens.

“We talked about the Anzac tradition in terms of emotion and about war being a sad event,” Mr Wilson said.

Visiting Anzac Gardens by bus and planting paper poppies was an important part of the school’s community access program, he said.

“The students enjoy making things in art and craft, so we incorporated the poppy-making into the lessons.”

Wirrabirra student Bibi said she and her classmates had been creating paper poppies each day in the lead-up to Anzac Day.

“We’ve been talking about soldiers marching and eating Anzac biscuits on Anzac Day,” Bibi said.

Ex-servicewoman and City of Gosnells Councillor Kylie Dalton guided the children’s planting effort.

“This is a great way to share the importance of the Anzac tradition with the next generation,” Cr Dalton said.