Six students will take part in the trip of a lifetime in 2024 in honour of Tasmania’s last surviving World War I veteran.
The students are recipients of the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize, a scholarship that plays a vital role in ensuring young Tasmanians remember the stories of our veterans.
Prize winners will take part in a study tour that will travel in 2024 to visit sites and landmarks in France and Belgium related to Australia’s military history.
Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Roger Jaensch, said thousands of Tasmanian students have entered the competition over the years.
“Past entrants, and particularly the prize winners, have discovered more about Tasmania’s military history and the spirit of those who left our shores for the war effort,” Minister Jaensch said.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners, who will embark on the trip of a lifetime.”
The six winners of the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize for 2023 are:
- Carolyn Townsend, MacKillop Catholic College
- Erin Rowlands, Dominic College
- Esther Mbabazi, Montrose Bay High
- Holly Stark, Rose Bay High
- Macy Deegan, Devonport High School
- Tori Hall, Scottsdale High School
Open to all Year 9 students in Tasmania, The Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize is an essay-based competition to help promote and preserve the meaning of the ANZAC spirit in the Tasmanian community.
Minister for Veterans Affairs, Guy Barnett, travelled with the 2022 winners to the Western Front earlier this year and on Saturday met with the next study group which will head overseas in 2024.
“Frank MacDonald was born in Ulverstone in 1896 and was Tasmania’s last World War I veteran,” Minister Barnett said.
“He received the Military Medal for courageously working under heavy fire while repairing signal lines between the 40th Infantry Battalion headquarters and the trenches. He also served in World War II and received the Legion of Honour.
“As these students prepare for the study tour they will undertake research into individual soldiers like Frank MacDonald, which helps to commemorate and preserve the meaning of the Anzac spirit in the Tasmanian community.”
The study tour lasts approximately 14 days and comprises six students, two teachers, a parliamentary representative, a member of RSL Tasmania and a Tasmanian Government Tour Leader.
Information about the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize is available on the Department of Education website:
