Alexandra teenager wins Passchendaele multi-media competition
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Nathan Guy has announced this year’s winner of the Battle of Passchendaele Multi-Media Competition as Nathan Garry, 17, from Dunstan High School in Alexandra.
“Nathan’s entry, entitled ‘The Boys from the Upper Junction’, is an outstanding entry and a powerful tribute to those who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917,” says Mr Guy.
“It links the experiences of Passchendaele, in which New Zealand suffered its greatest loss of life in one day, to local communities and the impact it had on families throughout our nation.”
The competition was launched in 2011 as a way of remembering New Zealand’s sacrifice on the Western Front, particularly amongst young people.
During the battle, New Zealand suffered its greatest loss of life in a single day with 2700 New Zealanders listed as killed, wounded or missing in just two hours.
Mr Guy presented Nathan with a $2000 education grant at a commemoration ceremony marking the 95th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum today.
The competition is open to Year 13 students and is held annually.