News Secondary
4 September 2025
Our Year 10 Humanities classes were given a rare and valuable gift: A personal connection to the history we have been studying. Ms Tanja visited us to share her father’s firsthand recollections of growing up in war-torn Germany after the second world war.
Through her, we heard the stories her dad had passed down about their family history: The challenges, the fears, and the reality of everyday life during such a tumultuous time. We learned how her grandmother was forced to flee their family home in Eastern Prussia (now part of Poland) with her baby (Ms Tanja’s father) in her arms as the Soviet Red Army advanced in the harsh winter of 1945, mere months before the end of the war.
Ms Tanja brought these stories to life with incredible primary sources, including original family photographs, which made the period feel incredibly real and immediate.
We were completely captivated. Her presentation sparked so many insightful questions, moving our understanding beyond the textbook and into the human experience of history. It was a truly memorable and sweet treat that added a profound new layer to our learning.
A big thank you to Ms Tanja from the Year 10 girls, and a special thank you to her father for taking the time to write down his memoirs in such a captivating style, allowing Ms Tanja to share them so beautifully with us.