Students comfort soldiers

Thirroul R.S.L's Keith Woodward with Year 4 St Michael's student Jordan Ryan.

A CLASS of Year 4 students recently cast a ray of sunshine on what had been a very dark day for a handful of local diggers.

The shock and devastation that enveloped the Thirroul RSL sub-branch following the vandalism of the war memorial in Thirroul could not be assuaged, but a class from St Michael's School Thirroul did their best.

Following the vandalism of the memorial David McAlister, the Year 4 teacher at St Michaels, took his class down to see what had happened.

“Most of us were shocked,” Year 4 student Jordan Ryan explained.

“I nearly started crying. I had tears in my eyes.”

When they had returned to school the class set about writing personal letters to Thirroul RSL to commiserate with them and offer their support.

As a result, the knowledge that these young people felt the same pain they felt over the attack was a great source of comfort to the ex-soldiers.

Jordan said she told the members she was sorry about what happened to their memorial.

“I wrote to the members of the RSL that what happened was bad and that we were all sorry about it,” she said.

Jordan said she felt the perpetrators should have been made to clean up the mess.

“The people who did it should go down there with a bucket and water and clean it,” she said, adding that they 'probably have a hideout somewhere'.

She said the offender or offenders should have known better.

“They should know in the first place that those people on the war memorial died to save Australia,” she said.

Outgoing President of Thirroul RSL Keith Woodward said the letters were wonderful.

“We had a meeting shortly after (the vandalism occurred) and there was nothing we could do, but to get those letters was great,” he said.

“They were all trying to pat us on the back and say 'sorry it happened.'”

Mr Woodward said there are just under 40 members of the Thirroul RSL, with the oldest member now in his late 80s.