Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was honoured to attend the commemorative service to mark Sandakan Day on Sunday 21 August at the Sandakan memorial in Kings Park. We paused to remember the sacrifice of more than 3,400 Australian and British servicemen who were held as prisoners of war in Borneo during the Second World War and did not return home. Many perished during the infamous death marches, with as few as six survivors. It was particularly moving for me as I lay a wreath at the Australian memorial in Borneo in 2018.

The well-organised service was conducted by students from Carine Senior High School, who are the custodians of the Sandakan memorial, and members of the North Beach RSL sub-branch. I would like to commend the principal, Damien Shuttleworth, members of staff and prefects Tyson Wright, Sophie Shuttleworth, Dakota Hinch-Woods, Jennifer Robb, Erica Powrie, Kai Marchetto, Arav Patel, Neva van Geffen, Janine Kho and Tea Heathcote-Marks. I was very proud to have Carine Senior High School join my electorate at the last election. The school has earned a reputation for its academic excellence, and students of Carine exemplify the qualities of good citizenship and active community involvement.