Our College community paused today to honour and pay respect to those who have served Australia and New Zealand, on our local, national and global stage. Our ceremony today highlighted the sacrifice and spirit of our Anzacs and the learning we can take away from what we have been taught by the Anzacs in terms of mateship, honour, service and perseverance. Our College Spirit Values reflect these messages and are a constant reminder that we, as members of Foxwell, have the ability to make a difference both in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Today we heard from one our special guests, Staff Sergeant (Retired) Simon Pohatu, New Zealand Intelligence Corps, who attended our ceremony with his wife,  Warrant Officer Class One (Retired) Debs Pohatu, Royal New Zealand Engineers. Simon and Debs are veterans of the New Zealand Army, both dedicating twenty years service to their country, including operational service in East Timor and Bosnia.Upon retirement from the military, they emigrated to the Gold Coast and spent four years working on the NATO mission in Afghanistan, managing medical support for both soldiers and civilians. Today they both manage medical and security support for remote projects in Australia and Debs also provides personal care for the elderly. Simon and Debs are active representatives of the North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch. Subject to the pledge ceremony, they also look forward to becoming Australian and dual citizens, and they can then truly claim to be 'ANZAC' citizens. In his address, Simon highlighted the importance of emulating the spirit and values of the Anzacs and richness of the local stories of our local men and women. We look forward to an enduring relationship with Simon and Debs. 

During the ceremony, we also honoured members of the Foxwell Family, who, for generations, were pioneers and farmers in our local area, and fought in a number of wars. We remember their sacrifices and thank them for their service.

Our Cadets played an important role in our ceremony today and we thank them for their contribution and leadership. 

All of our students were impeccably behaved during the ceremony, demonstrating appropriate respect and behaviour. We are proud of their acknowledgement of the solemnity of the occasion. It was also lovely to have some of our Foxwell families attend the ceremony this year. 

Thank you to Mrs Sophie Cardno, the strings ensembles, the College Choir and our College Leaders for the moving performances today. Eliesha and Josie conducted the ceremony perfectly. We look forward to seeing our students as their local services on Thursday and wish all families a safe and peaceful holiday.