HOLOCAUST survivor Hetty Verolme visited a Merriwa school to recount her experiences living through Nazi persecution.
The 90-year-old talked to Year 9 to 11 students at Alkimos Baptist College in early November, sharing her experiences when Germany occupied the Netherlands in 1940.
Her Jewish family survived being relocated and the increasing harsh restrictions for a few years, however in 1943, they were deported to Bergen-Belson, a concentration camp.
While students had learnt about World War II and the Holocaust in Year 10, Ms Verolme’s personal story captivated and moved them.
“You could really put yourself in her shoes and envision the experience” Callia Dixon said.
Caitlyn Schoen said it helped her understand how traumatic that period was.
“It was a really special experience, knowing that others in the future won’t get the opportunity to meet someone who was there first hand,” Izabella-Rose Frame said.
Ms Verolme asked students to tell their future children and grandchildren about the Holocaust so it was never forgotten and left them with greater understanding of their role to ensure it did not happen again.
Read the article in Perth Now (North Coast Times).