Special Event

Celebrations and special occasions have always been important in the life of the Concordia community. There was a time when Martin Luther’s birthday on 10 November 1483 was always remembered and his work and achievements gratefully acknowledged.
So the Dunmunkle Standard newspaper for November 16^th 1893 gives us a detailed and rather quaintly worded description of an occasion unlike one any of us today have ever experienced.

Last Friday evening the German-English Private School was well filled by Murtoa and District residents, they having assembled to listen to addresses bearing up in the life and the life-work of the great German reformer. In the intervals between the addresses a variety of musical pieces were performed. The event being essentially Teutonic, and the greater part of the audience being Germans, it was quite in keeping that the national tongue of Faderland (sic) should be the most in evidence .

However, fortunately for non-German speakers present, some of the other addresses were in English, French and even Latin. The newspaper then gave a summary of the speeches - which were by no means short - and the evening eventually drew to a close with the singing of ‘A mighty fortress is our God.’

Ninety years later, on October 30 1983, the 500^th anniversary of Martin Luther’s birth was celebrated in a special way. Concordia students joined with a large choir conducted by Mr Peter Schmidt in singing for a special telecast service in the Festival Hall.