Study Mission 1995
Our trip to Poland was long in many ways. Firstly, in that some of us spent months fundraising, working at weekends and begging cash, not ever really knowing if the trip would happen. Secondly, the physical trip itself is long - both in hours spent in transit and in a change in culture - from sunny, safe Australia, to cold Poland with its European ways, then to Israel where every Western culture in History has left a fingerprint.
However, the psychological journey is far longer than any other. In a fortnight, we witnessed both the depths and peaks of human nature. We saw places where unimaginable horrors took place, but met with people who took us into their homes and spoke with survivors who willingly told their stories and became our friends.
We all learned more than can be easily judged or tested in an exam. However, as a teacher, my constant feeling was of pride -both in the students' attitude towards what they learned, and in the attitudes which are allowed to exist in our culture in Australia to enable such a trip to take place.
National pride was used by the Nazis as a profoundly destructive force, and such emotions continue to be used today against ethnic groups in places such as Rwanda and the Balkans. Nevertheless, national pride can be used in other ways. Patriotism need not be used to exclude: we can be proud as a nation that we treat each other fairly, that we consider others' beliefs, that we are willing to be accepting and that we admit that we can learn from the past. We can also determine that our standards of treating other people continue to improve, and that we as a nation do not accept that issues of race can continue to separate human beings from one another.
We also were privileged to learn by example that children, when raised in a loving, safe and tolerant environment will share it with others, and by their actions, ensure that these ideas are passed on. Criticism and retribution has little effect in changing intolerance but by providing a positive example we can cause change.
It was said at one of the camps that we should be glad that there are no real words to describe what took place in the concentration camps, for to give it words would be to admit that it could be categorised and accepted by humanity. Nevertheless, we have attempted to give our experiences a voice, and to express what we learned in the hope that the phrase "never again" means something to the students who follow.
Teacher Facilitator 1995
Broadford Secondary College
Participants in the 1995 Poland/Israel Study Mission
The following Australians participated in the 1995 study mission to Poland and Israel. Their responses to the trip can be found in each of the following pages..
Broadford Secondary College
Students:
Teachers:
Lake Bolac Secondary College
Teacher:
To participate in the study mission, many hours of hard work were put in to fundraising for the trip. A pamphlet was produced outlining the group's objectives, which has been reproduced online.
Broadford Secondary College Holocaust Genocide Group Online Pamphlet
We gratefully acknowledge the financial and emotional support of the Whalesong Foundation