Buttons link to Holocaust

The students at St Vincent’s Primary School in Parmelia have been busy collecting buttons for a very special cause.

They are participating in the Button Project, an initiative by Bialik College in Victoria, which will see 1.5 million buttons collected in memory of the children who perished in the Holocaust.

The official collection date was set for September 19 and St Vincent’s students brought more than 5500 buttons to add to the Bialik collection.

The collection day also happened to coincide with International Talk Like A Pirate Day and the children dressed in their best pirate outfit to celebrate.

St Vincent’s Primary School principal Karmela Messineo said it was a fantastic day.

“Each year we participate in International Talk Like A Pirate Day and normally we ask for a gold coin donation but this year we asked for buttons,” Ms Messineo said.

“The children were very excited to be a part of something this big — each button that was collected came with its own story.

“It is a beautiful concept and I felt it was important for our students to remember we are all part of a wider community and this is our way of remembering the past.”

The team at Bialik College has planned to create a sculpture from the collected buttons.