Students, staff and visitors to Beverly Hill Girls High walked through the school to a snapshot of the Australian identity before reaching the foyer and the ‘Women Can Do Anything’ mural.

The first greeting was an Acknowledgement of Country, then the new and powerful ANZAC Deck designed by students, followed by an Indigenous mural.

The ‘Anzac Deck’, which has transformed an under-used part of the school grounds, was initiated and co-designed by the 2025 Student Representative Council and funded by a $1500 ANZAC Community Grant from the Office of Veterans Affairs.

At the 5 May opening of the deck, principal Maria Iemma urged students to reflect about what it meant to serve – “whether that’s your country, your community, or simply the people you care about”.

“Our goal for each of you, as you journey through six years of learning with us, is that you leave these grounds as somebody – somebody with the confidence to pursue your dreams without limitation, somebody with the compassion to care for others, somebody with the courage to stand for what's right even when it's difficult,” she said.

“The ANZAC spirit embodies these qualities. It reminds us that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when guided by conviction and character.

“The deck we open today stands as a testament to that spirit, and as a promise to nurture those same qualities in each of you.”

The design of the mural that hugs the deck includes silhouettes of two soldiers at either end – one with a slouch hat and head bowed; the other with a bugle to symbolise the playing of The Last Post and Reveille. Red poppies, a symbol of remembrance for those who died or suffered in wars, are also featured.

School captain Sheza Ahmed said the students wanted to pay respect to the legacy of the ANZAC tradition.

"We stand here knowing we can do anything, because of their choice to risk everything,” she said.

“We designed this deck, to honour the ANZAC legacy, so that it may be a permanent reminder of the ANZAC spirit, inspiring each of us to be resilient, care for one another and be all that we can be.”

Year 12 classmate Afifa Akhtar said: "We hope our deck inspires all of us to live in a way that honours their sacrifice. We can do this by truly ‘being somebody’.”

Beverly Hills Girls High School mottos are ‘Women Can Do Anything’ and ‘Be Somebody’.

The official opening of the ANZAC Deck was attended by Flight Lieutenant Barry Sutherland, Royal Australian Air Force; Captain A. Hook and members of the 233 Army Cadet Unit, St George; RSL sub-branch executives and members, local service clubs, the school’s P&C association, and Director Educational Leadership Clint White.

Vocational Education and Training students streamed the event to classrooms so all students could take part in the opening ceremony, including standing to observe a minute's silence when The Last Post was played.