HIGH school students swapped their history textbooks for a lesson alongside war memorabilia at the 2014 modern history symposium.
Hosted by Miranda RSL Sub-branch on July 29, the annual event which has run for the past 37 years brought together 120 year 10 students from four high schools in Sutherland Shire.
Students and teachers from Port Hacking, Sylvania, Gymea and Jannali schools met former soldiers and listen to stories to support their studies of Australia's involvement in war.
World War II and Vietnam War veterans spoke about their experiences in battle during the conflicts.
Speakers were Kerry Cattell, who was a former counter-intelligence officer in Vietnam; Eric Barton, who flew 45 missions in Lancaster bombers in World War II; Melissa Harries, a psychologist who was deployed to East Timor, Afghanistan, Dubai and Kuwait, and Peggy Williams who was in the Women's Land Army during World War II.
