The ex-serviceman, Morrie Witten, told The Daily Telegraph today that Carrington Public School had banned hymns and prayers from their annual commemorative service. But the Department of Education, speaking on behalf of the school, said the service had never included hymns or prayers.

“An RSL representative, who usually attends the school’s service, had asked for a hymn to be added to the service this year,” said a Department spokesperson. The school declined that request.

“The overwhelming majority of the school’s families wish the service to be secular,” said the spokesperson. It said the RSL supported the decision.

The spokesperson told Eternity that Carrington Public School had been inundated with vitriolic calls and emails after The Daily Telegraph published its story today, which he called “untrue”.

The Carrington Public School Remembrance Day ceremony included recitations of several famous war poems, including Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields and Rudyard Kipling’s Recessional, which references “God” and “Lord” several times. But as in previous years, said the Department, no hymns or prayers were used.

The NSW Department of Education religious education implementation procedures suggests schools are at liberty to hold commemorative events containing religious elements, in consultation with the school community. It states that parents should be notified of the nature of the service and “reminded of their right to object to the inclusion of their children”.

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs provides an outline for commemorative services with suggestions of hymns and prayers that may be used, including The Lord’s Prayer and the Prayer of Remembrance.

Australia’s national Remembrance Day ceremony, held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra this morning saw guests sing the hymn O God, our help in ages past, though no prayers were part of the official service.