Flag Held High at St Joseph's Primary School

Flag Held High at St Joseph’s Primary School

On Friday 29 July David had the honour of presenting a brand new Australian flag to the students of St Joseph’s Primary School.

David also took the opportunity to speak to the students about the history and symbolism of Australia’s flag, which has remained largely unchanged since it was first flown in 1901. David also stressed the continued importance of young people and their ideas to Australian society, highlighting the fact that two teenagers were among the winners of a national contest for the flag’s design that attracted over 32,000 entries.

“The Australian flag is a unifying symbol of nationhood that aptly sums up our nation,” David said. “The Commonwealth star symbolises the importance of the states…the Union Jack links us constantly to our proud European heritage and to our system of parliamentary democracy…and the Southern Cross acts as a constant reminder of where we are in the world”.

David has long believed in the importance of providing students with a strong education in Australian history and society, fostering the growth of an active and informed citizenry. David was also struck by the creativity of many of the students. At one point he asked them if they knew the location of Australia’s first parliament. One young student hazarded a guess that it was “on the moon”. Although the correct answer may have been the Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building, David was impressed by the ability of today’s youth to literally look to the stars.

Indeed, by the time the students of St Joseph’s Primary are his age, perhaps a parliament on the moon might be a real possibility.