School friends

Getting a lift: WO1 Danny McGinley and the men from the 131 STA Bty receive a warm welcome home from students of Logan Reserve School. Photo by Rachael Thorpe

By Rachael Thorpe

WHEN Elise McGinley told her teacher, Rebecca Hokanson, that her Dad, WO1 Danny McGinley, of 131 STA Bty, was going to Iraq for six months, she knew it was going to be a tough time.

In an effort to cheer her up and help her through her Dad’s absence, Miss Hokanson embarked on a campaign for the entire class at Logan Reserve School to help put a smile on the faces of WO1 McGinley and other deployed soldiers.

Care packages and individual letters were soon being sent from the children to the soldiers.

The soldiers wrote back and sent presents from Iraq, thanking the children for the Tim Tams, Vegemite and the much-needed deodorant sticks, an item the children considered an important survival tool for any soldier in 50 degree heat!

When WO1 McGinley and other 131 STA Bty members returned from Iraq, Miss Hokanson and the students of 4H put on a morning tea at their school to welcome home their new heroes and pen pals.

They children performed their own rendition of We Still Call Australia Home, written especially for the men.

The soldiers fielded some inquisitive and challenging questions about their mission in Iraq, such as “just how big are the camel spiders?” and “how messy is the mess?”