Holocaust Memorial GardenPrint Page

The garden is dedicated in memory of the 6 million jews who perished in the Holocaust during World War Two. 

A memorial garden dedicated to the memory of the 6 million Jews who perised in the Holocaust was unveiled yesterday by by Holocaust survivors Tom Fleming and Peter Gyenes with volunteers from Courage to Care.

The garden was planted in the College grounds and features an Olive tree and Rosemary bushes, symbolising peace and remembrance for those whose lives were irreversibly altered as a result of the Shoah (The Holocaust).

As part of their study of the Holocaust, Year 9 students were involved in the creation of the garden and decorated small stones which have been scattered amongst the plants. Traditionally, small stones are placed by people who visit Jewish graves as an act of remembrance and respect for the deceased.

Students have learned about the horrors of the Holocaust in class – engaging with primary sources such as memoirs, artworks, photographs and video testimonies of those who perished during the Holocaust and those who survived.

The garden serves as a place of commemoration and a reminder to students that when they encounter any form of oppression, we are called to be ‘upstanders, not bystanders’ and uphold the dignity of all and promote the common good.

To conclude their study, the students took part in workshops conducted by Courage to Care and heard the moving stories from Holocaust survivors Tom Fleming and Peter Gyenes. Courage to Care is an organisation specialising in Holocaust education, promotes acceptance and educates Australians about the dangers of prejudice, racism and discrimination.

This was an incredible opportunity for students as they are part of the last generation who is likely to hear these stories firsthand from the people who lived through it. Tom and Peter told students of how they were separated from family members, the horrific conditions they were faced with and how they finally came to freedom. Meeting these survivors and hearing their stories was a privilege and an incredibly humbling experience.
Marion Catholic College, 2 June 2021. 

The Holocaust was Nazi Germany’s deliberate, organized, state-sponsored persecution and machinelike murder of approximately six million European Jews and at least five million prisoners of war, Romany, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and other victims. Holocaust is a word of Greek origin. It means “burnt offering.” 

Antisemitism was a centuries-long phenomenon in Europe, but it reached its height in Germany during the Nazi era (1933–1945). The Nazis also claimed that Romany (Gypsies), Slavs (Poles, Russians), and physically and mentally disabled people were Untermenschen (subhuman) and did not deserve to live. 

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