Student’s spirited Anzac artwork shines

SIXTEEN-year-old Ollie Warwick was one of twelve Victorian finalists in the 2020 Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize this week.

The Ballarat Grammar year 10 was the only student from the school to reach this point of the awards process, although five of his peers had been in the semi-finals.

Secondary pupils across the state were encouraged to enter the Prize by creating a piece of work that reflects on war and responds to one of a few provided themes.

Ollie chose the prompt of ‘relationships,’ and married that idea with Ballarat Grammar’s service history within a structural artwork.

“I wanted to build something, so I thought it was a good idea to develop a wood design of a soldier looking back on poppies after a World War,” he said.

“The soldier I made represents Ernest Gribble. He’s one of the Grammarians on our school honour roll, and I put 34 poppies on the ground to represent all Grammar students that went to war.

“There was a light under his feet showing how bright things seemed going into war, and then a contrasting darkness to show how dark it was at the end, watching so many people die in front of him.”

Ollie said the process was a positive experience, also taking the chance to utilise his school’s archives.

“It’s good to know what’s happened in the past and how bad things actually were, compared to our privilege now and how well we’re living.”

Prize winners are travelling to Vietnam and Singapore for an Australian war history study tour. Ollie missed the chance to take a trip to Canberra for the awards due to COVID-19, instead watching at home with family.

Sandra Warwick, Ollie’s mum said he created his artwork as part of year 9 studies. When the Spirit of Anzac entry process rolled around, the school encouraged student entries.

She was grateful to Grammar for helping her sons understand the atrocities of war.

“Students get to take whatever pathway they like to reflect on war and express how they feel,” she said.

“There is flexibility for different types of learners, and that’s the beauty of it.”