Winners of the Mayor’s Anzac Day Writing Competition

Published on 25 April 2025

Mayor of Woollahra Sarah Swan with Senior Winner, Freya MacKay

The winning entries from the Mayor’s Anzac Day Writing Competition were read out at our Anzac Day wreath laying ceremony at the Double Bay Cenotaph today.

Freya MacKay from Reddam House won the senior category and Alexander He from Sydney Grammar Edgecliff Prep School won the junior category. You can read their beautiful poetry below.

Harry Martin from Cranbrook and Jodi Freilikh from Bellevue Hill Public School received Highly Commended awards.

"I was incredibly moved by the personal histories and emotive imagery submitted by our young people", said Woollahra Mayor Clr Sarah Swan.

"Their words carry the spirit of remembrance, respect, and reflection. By honouring the legacy of the ANZACs you honour Australia and the Woollahra community - thank you," she said.

"You are the voices through which their stories and our shared history live," added Mayor Swan.

Lest we forget.

The Winning Entries

Can We Ever Thank Our ANZACS Enough? By: Alexander He, Junior category winner

How do we say: “Thank You?”
Can we ever thank them enough?
To the soldiers who died,
To the families who cried;
How can we ever thank them enough?

The Double Bay War Memorial is so pretty,
An oasis in this big city.
The statue of a brave soldier stands so proudly
But is it really enough?

Anzac Day is a special day.
For us all, it will always be holy.
We stand still to the horn
And bow down our heads to the lawn.
But is it really enough?

“No!” I say.
“It will never be enough!
We can never thank the ANZACS enough!”

Gratitude doesn’t just belong in a memorial,
Or in a park,
Or a single day
However holy it may be.
Gratitude should be every day,
When we sing,
when we play,
And especially when we pray
That we, the young people of today,
Should never find ourselves in the same place
Of danger and horror that those brave soldiers once had to face.

The only way we can make their sacrifices worthwhile,
Is if, moving forward, we approach every day with a smile.
And if we all learn to hug one another
Like a sister and like a brother.

So I say this now
To all those who have served before us, now, and afterwards.
We put our hands on our hearts and say: “We miss you.”
We stand still today and say: “We salute you!”
And we smile and say forever more: “Thank You!”

Untitled By: Freya MacKay, Senior category winner

On the fields where the poppies lay,
it is where the soldiers look up at us every day.
The soldiers help me understand,
what really happened to the Mackay Clan.

From the lands of Gallipoli’s sands,
from the water to oceans.
Their names whispered in the wind,
my family's spirt, forever alive.

The sun would rise as duty calls,
some of them would sadly fall.
Some soldiers survive,
but their lives, changed forever.

Their boots, worn from the fearful fight,
carried hope through the saddest nights.
In their soul, they hold their stories,
of courage, mateship, grief and survival.

For the Mackays and those who fell,
at the places they fought and held.
We remember their battles,
the boots, boats, boys and their bravery.

We promise to always remember,
the sacrifice and bravery of our soldiers.
On this ANZAC Day and every day,
we will never forget, the Mackay spirit that was set.
Lest we forget.

Photo shared by: Freya MacKay