A Sydney principal who came under fire for telling parents their kids could opt out of an Anzac Day service has backflipped on her ‘disrespectful’ decision.
Sherwood Ridge Public School in Kellyville, north-west Sydney, told parents last week to inform teachers if they did not want their kids to attend a special Anzac Day assembly and service on April 10.
After major backlash from parents and veterans, principal Jody Sullivan sent a follow-up email to families on Wednesday telling them it was now the school’s expectation that ‘all students’ would attend.
It was sent after department of education officials intervened on Wednesday.
The email, which was seen by The Daily Telegraph, has sparked further backlash from the veteran community.
‘The message sent out last month was seen as disrespectful by some members of the broader community and has detracted from our longstanding tradition of acknowledging and respecting Anzac Day in our school,’ the email read.
‘I want to apologise for this.’
Families of Veterans Guild chief executive Renee Wilson appreciated the principal’s apology but took issue with its wording.
Sherwood Ridge Public School principal Jody Sullivan (pictured) walked back her email, acknowledging it had been seen as ‘disrespectful’ by members of the community
Sherwood Ridge Public School had planned to provide alternative options for students who wished not to attend a special Anzac Day service
‘The apology is appreciated however the wording indicates that perhaps Anzac Day and the significance of what our defence members and their families give and do for Australia isn’t well understood and speaks to the need for greater and deeper education,’ Ms Wilson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘One in five households in Australia contain a veteran.
‘People who have voluntarily sacrificed their freedom, peace and security to protect that of their fellow Australians. If that doesn’t deserve respect, I don’t know what does.’
Ms Wilson said it was ‘imperative’ that students understand the historic significance of Anzac Day and the ongoing sacrifices of Australia’s veterans.
‘Australia isn’t the lucky country because of luck, it is intentional – it is by design, and it is because of our men and women in uniform and their families,’ she said.
‘Anzac Day is about remembering what was given for the country we have today.
‘It is about acknowledging the courage, bravery and sacrifice of everyday Australians who gave their lives so we may have choices, freedoms and live in peace and security today.’
The initial email prompted NSW education minister and deputy premier Prue Car to intervene.
‘The principal should not have sent out that email to the school and the Secretary will be speaking to her this morning,’ she said.
Veterans were outraged by the decision which they claimed undermined the historic significance of the national day of remembrance
Mr Car added that all schools were expected to ‘respect (the) tradition’ of Anzac Day.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also dragged into the controversy on Wednesday
‘I support Anzac Day. It’s as simple as that. I’ll be at Anzac Day: I’ll be at the Australian War Memorial, that’s the appropriate place to be,’ he said.
‘My job is to support Australians and I support Anzac Day very strongly.’
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance of the first major military action of Australian and New Zealand soldiers in the First World War.
More than 8,000 Australian soldiers died during the Gallipoli campaign launched on April 25, 1915. This year’s commemorations mark the 110th anniversary.
The principal’s initial ‘opt out’ email was intended to accommodate a small number of Christian students at the school who don’t ‘commemorate war’.
The school is understood to have received requests from a small number of parents for their children not to attend the commemoration assembly in line with their faith. and had planned to provide alternative supervised activities for those who didn’t want to take part.
It’s unclear whether those alternative arrangements will still be offered.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Department of Education for comment.
Before Ms Sullivan issued her apology, Vietnam veteran Michael von Berg MC OAM said the move was part of a trend in Australia to undermine days of national significance on ideological grounds.
Michael von Berg (pictured) was a platoon commander in Vietnam who was awarded a Military Cross for his actions in 1966
‘Australia Day was first – I said Anzac Day will be next and here we are,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
He branded the school’s move an ‘insult, and disrespectful to all of the wonderful men and women who we’ve lost in all wars’.
‘It should be beyond any religion or any sort of woke agenda,’ Mr von Berg said.
‘The kids didn’t come up with it and I don’t think it’s the parents either – I suspect it’s the teachers.
‘You’ve just got some people that for whatever reason hate our country and hate our flag. And that’s very unhealthy for a country.
‘It’s the woke agendas that haven’t been helped by the government, because we haven’t been hard enough or strict enough in coming down on it.’
Mr von Berg was a platoon commander in Vietnam who was awarded a Military Cross for his actions in 1966.
His citation states that he ‘showed a complete disregard for his own safety’ to lead his troops in successfully driving back an enemy attack after they were ambushed in a ravine, saving their lives.
