Honouring a service legacy with 200 handmade poppies
An incredible four generations honour their own and others' service to this country
Valerie and her family take great pride in their family’s history of military service and have passed the stories down through the generations. In 2024, Valerie’s granddaughter, Sherri, was awarded the prestigious Frank McDonald Memorial Prize to travel to the Anzac Day commemorations in Villers Bretonneux in France. This trip sparked an impressive creative project that culminated in Valerie crocheting 200 poppies.
Valerie’s father-in-law, John (Jack) Walker, received a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his service on the Western Front in World War I. Sherri had always known this, but in researching for her application, she made a new discovery. Jack also had a brother, Albert, who had sadly lost his life in the Battle of Passchendaele.
“It was extraordinary for our family to know that Sherri was going to be the first family member to visit Albert’s grave in Tyne Cot Cemetery in France – very emotional,” Valerie said. “I wanted Sherri to take something with her to put at the grave, so I made her a couple of poppies.”
Sherri is the Assistant Principal at Scottsdale Primary School in Tasmania. When she came home from France, she suggested to her grandmother that it would be great to have some poppies for the kids to use during their Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services. With the help of integratedliving Support Worker Vicki, Valerie went to work. Vicki took her shopping to buy the wool, and the project kept Valerie busy for months.
“I never miss an Anzac Day or Remembrance Day,” Valerie said. “I am very proud of Sherri for the work she does with her students to make sure they don’t forget.”
“And making the poppies has kept me very busy,” Valerie laughed.
The Scottsdale Primary School intends to use Valerie’s poppies every year as part of their war commemorations. The children have become very involved in the project, adding wires to them so they can put them in the ground to create a bed of poppies. The flower has become a symbolic reminder of those who lost their lives or suffered in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
The Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize aims to educate Tasmanian students about the state’s rich military history, while ensuring the remembrance and understanding of World War I is passed on to new generations. The competition is open to all Tasmanian Year 9 students. The prize includes a 10-day study tour to France, a visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and monthly educational meetings. Sherri was chosen as one of two teachers in the state to accompany and supervise the students throughout the prize.