We will remember them

Despite the rain and unseasonal freezing temperatures, the Beechworth community came together at the Town Hall gardens this Remembrance Day to mark the 107th anniversary of the Armistice on the Western Front. Beechworth Secondary College’s 2026 School Captains Jade Lawrence and Kalum Porteous spoke of the importance of honouring the courage and sacrifice of those who served. The captains, alongside four other students who served as flag orderlies and wreath bearers, represented BSC, while a separate Remembrance day ceremony was led by the 2026 Vice Captains back at the school for the rest of the students. The school captains spoke of William “Bill” Pritchard, who served as a member of the 2/14th Battalion in World War II. Jade spoke of his two defining characteristics - bravery and loyalty. She said one of Bill Pritchard’s most important moments came when the battalion was deployed to fight in the Kokoda campaign, when his brother, Herbert John “Jack” Pritchard was lost in the fighting in the jungles near Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. “Against orders, he slipped out of camp and made his way through the treacherous jungle, eventually finding his brother and bringing him safely back,” she said. “It was an extraordinary act of bravery, one born not from duty alone, but from love and loyalty.” Kalum spoke of Bill’s return to Australia, and of how he and his wife, Mary, “were long time and much loved members of the local RSL, attending regularly and helping keep the spirit of remembrance alive for younger generations". “Today, the Mary Pritchard Lounge at the RSL stands as a fitting tribute to their legacy, a place for community, reflection and connection,” he said. John Eldrid, president of the Beechworth RSL sub-branch led the ceremony. Mr Eldrid said that Remembrance Day was about giving recognition to those who served and especially those who never returned. “Beechworth had a big commitment to both world wars, so it is all about honouring the people who did that service,” he said. RSL Appeals officer Sally Hayden said she has a proud military history that traces back from the Boer War through to the Vietnam War. “I’ve got a great-great grandfather, two great-grandfathers, grandfathers and my father who all fought in wars,” she said. “It’s absolutely essential that we remember this history every year.” Beechworth Salvation Army major Pauline Middleton gave the Prayer of Remembrance, Mr Eldrid recited The Ode, with poems ‘In Flanders Field’ and ‘We Shall Keep the Faith’ read by BSC captains Jade and Kalum. Wreath laying by community organisations, local schools and other organisations followed before the ceremony concluded. Refreshments provided by the RSL followed the ceremony.

We will remember them

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