Schoolkids back to place flags for people who served their country

On Monday afternoon, about 70 students from Siena Catholic Primary School in Lucas visited the Ballarat Old Cemetery, looked for the graves of 230 WWI and WWII returned servicepeople, and planted a flag for each grave.

Grade six teacher Georgia Brittain said it was a "really powerful experience" for students to find the names of the soldiers, know their stories and realise how different their lives were from today.

"They're going to discover a few soldiers that were really quite young, and that'll surprise them too," Ms Brittain said.

"We are learning about Australian history at the moment. This has fitted in perfectly with our learning," Ms Brittain said.

Eleven-year-old Hayden said he had learned about the start of Anzac Day and the stories of people served the country.

"We've come here to remember the sacrifices that they've made for us," Hayden said.

Grade six student Gauthen said "we feel proud to be in this nation that so many people sacrificed their life for our generation."

Ms Brittain said children were interested in the flag placement.

"A number of them hadn't been here before," she said." Some of them had grandparents who were fought in the wars so they have a strong connection."

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Ballarat Cemeteries chief executive Annie De Jong said it was the first time schoolkids had placed the flags after the pandemic.

"We hope to have more schoolchildren back next year," Ms Jong said.

The event of flag placements first started in 2018, Ms Jong said.

"It is our symbol of honoring the people who have made Australia what it is today," she said.

She said about 3000 flags will fly across the two cemeteries in Ballarat on Anzac Day and the preparation had started last week.

Ms Jong said the number of graves recognised as people served in the defense forces had increased about 1000 over the past five years under the community's support.

"We get notified all the time of veterans that are in our cemetery," she said.

Ms Jong said if people found someone that didn't have a flag, but should, they could get in touch with the cemetery and give the details of the locations.

"We will put a flag out on Anzac Day [for them]," she said. "No matter which conflict or peacekeeping, just honouring the people that protect our country."

People who discover an veteran's grave without flags can phone the cemetery on 5332 1469.