Simpson Prize students (left to right) Nic, Eleanor, Meg, Madeleine, Erin, Lauren, Varun and Johanna at the 57 Regiment Memorial

It’s always interesting and entertaining for me to discover the character of the young Aussies who come on the Simpson Prize trip.  Here’s a rough sketch of each one.

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Varun and Onder, our bus driver, laying a wreath at the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial

The return to the hotel after our big Anzac morning was a chance to relax, catch up on sleep and do whatever we felt like.  As it was a lovely warm day, Maddy and Lauren braved the waters for another swim, others walked and talked on the beach, Varun learnt card games – Pisti and Kapti Kacti – from our bus driver, while the more senior members of the group snoozed.

The day after Anzac Day was farewell to the Kum Hotel and back to Istanbul.  We stopped at the Turkish 57th Regiment to lay a wreath, with Varun and our bus driver doing the honours.  Our wreath, in Turkish, read “The epic story of heroism and friendship started here”.  A very subdued bus trip back with some nodding off and others lost in their thoughts had us back in Istanbul, visiting Haggia Soffia (Ayasofya) before heading to the hotel.

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View of Dawn Service from our seats

Well, by the look of all the comments we don’t have to tell you what we’ve been up to, as you’ve seen us in action on TV.  Before Lone Pine, though, we had of course been at the Dawn Service at North Beach.  We got up after midnight, dressed warmly (some with every layer they possibly could) and headed off to the site.  It was amazing to see the place full of people in sleeping bags and in the stands.  Thanks to Dept of Veterans Affairs we got some great seats, just behind the NSW Premier’s group of students.  It was at the front of the stands, close to the water so we had a great view of the commemorative site and sea with lights shooting out across it.

While it was cold waiting for dawn, Andrew assured us we were lucky that there was no cold wind like last year.  There was an interpretive program that ran on the big screens either side of the site that included interviews with people who had travelled to Gallipoli for the services and a presentation of soldiers names and details of a few Australian and New Zealand soldiers killed in the campaign – very moving.

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Simpson Prize group rugged up during the trip up the Anzac coastline

Today we braved the elements and walked the frontline at Anzac from Lone Pine to Walkers Ridge.  Lone Pine is the site for the main Australian service on Anzac Day so it’s full of action with seating stands, a/v equipment, catafalque party rehearsals and musicians trying to warm up.  Many of the soldiers we were to present had no known grave, so we found their names on the memorial wall and did rubbings to add to our photos and poppies, to present in other areas. read on

On the way down Rhododendron Ridge

The day before our big night at Anzac dawned clear and sunny.  While there was still a cool breeze blowing, we were pleased to see a change in the weather.  The plan for the morning was to travel down south to Helles and visit site of some of the big battles in this area.  However, we hadn’t counted on the enthusiasm of Turkish authorities to close off roads due to memorial services at some of the sites.

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Simpson Prize students on the Cannakale Ferry

By Eleanor Lourey (Simpson Prize winner):

Being here for Anzac Day seems so much more important now that I have learnt so much about WWI and the Gallipoli campaign.  Seeing so many Australian graves makes the whole day more purposeful to remember and commemorate their lives.  Seeing what some of the relatives had written on the gravestones made it seem so much more real and made me think about their families they had left behind at home.

When I saw how large the set-up is for the Dawn Service made me realize how important the day is, not only for Australians but also for New Zealanders and Turks.  I am now looking forward to the Anzac Day services more than I was before, all because now I am here on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

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Grave of Major EC Oldham

A very pleasant drive down to the Gallipoli Peninsula through fields of bright yellow canola crops and pine forested mountains had us arriving at the Kum Hotel in time for lunch.  It was the first taste of the fabulous food and hospitality of this hotel, which is only 10 minutes drive from the Anzac area.  Our rooms are small, but comfortable, and once we had mastered the mysteries of plumbing, wrestled with our door locks and understood the purpose of the hole in the bathroom (ventilation) we all felt at home. read on

Simpson students and teachers in front of the Blue Mosque

Heading down to Gallipoli we had a chance to reflect on our introduction to Turkey from our two days in Istanbul.  The hotel in Taxim Square was a great location – busy, chaotic and full of life.  It’s a very cosmopolitan part of the city with thousands of people moving through the square and down Istiklal Street.

In this area are plenty of familiar brand-name shops you would see in Australia, but tucked away in little malls you find a huge range of Turkish products.  We sampled Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and tea.  Lauren checked out a busking group performing with an instrument called a Saz – lute shaped with three pairs of strings – and another musician on a small hand-drum.

Throughout the day is the call to prayer, broadcast from the many mosques around the city.  Some of us find the 5.30am call to prayer a very peaceful and gentle way to wake up, while others would rather keep sleeping.

In the old part of the city, one of the most amazing places to visit is the Basilica Cistern – an underground water storage with huge pillars and brick ceiling.  Lighting, music and a small amount of water on the bottom create a magical atmosphere.  The Blue Mosque has an incredible ambience inside, something that cant be captured in a photograph – definitely one of those places you have to experience in person.

At Topaki Palace we saw jewels, swords, thrones, daggers and other ornaments from the treasury, while in the holy relics section the display included a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed and parts of his beard.  In this area Muezzins (preachers) deliver a sermon from the Koran 24 hours a day.

The Simpson Prize is a competition for high school students from around Australia, with a winner from every state and territory getting the opportunity to travel to Turkey and attend the services on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli. The students this year are Varun Sundar (ACT), Lauren Tang (NSW), Madeleine Foote (TAS), Johanna Stott-Williams (SA), Megan Proutt (QLD), Nicholas Dyer (WA), Eleanor Lourey (VIC) and Erin Moriarty (NT).  The accompanying teachers are Sharon Mann and Peter Sharrett with myself, Andrew Gray, as tour guide and we have the wonderful Turkish guide Ozgur (or Fred) looking after our group.

We have just finished our first two days in Istanbul which has been a great introduction to Turkish history and culture.  The amazing Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern, as well as a very relaxing cruise on the Bosphorus.  We also ran the gauntlet of the shop-keepers in the Spice Market and haggled with the best of them.  The weather has been brilliant with warm sunny days, though the forecast is for a wet change.  We’ve got to know each other over the last few days and are having a great time together.

Tomorrow we head down to Gallipoli and will have our first visit to the battlefield areas. Each day we’ll try and get an entry in with some pics to relate our experiences.

The History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA), together with HTAA State affiliates, conduct this competition for year 9 and 10 students on behalf of the Australian Government. Read more about the Simpson Prize and this years winners.

The intrepid Simpson Prize group have now returned to Australia after a very successful tour to Turkey. The final days of the trip were spent in Istanbul visiting the Dolmabache Palace, followed by a shopping frenzy in the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. Purchases varied from the predictable (Turkish Delight) to the exotic (belly dancing outfit) and many in the group launched into the spirit of haggling with great enthusiasm. On our last night we shared the farewell dinner with the Memorial’s battlefield tour group, giving us the opportunity to formally thank our fabulous Turkish guide Guzin Sapmaz and bus driver Mehmet
Overall, the trip was a very successful one for the students and teachers. The tour brought together a diverse group of young Australians to share a common experience that I’m sure will stay with them for the rest of their lives. If previous Simpson Prize winners are a guide, this year’s group will continue to participate in commemorative activities and help others understand the enduring impact of the Gallipoli campaign on Australia and Turkey.

Andrew Gray
Simpson Prize Tour Guide
Australian War Memorial