Canberra trip 2024

In the last week of Term Three, 17 students from Year 9 -11 and four teachers embarked on a cross country adventure. This year’s trip was for students who have missed out on the Sydney/Canberra trip during the covid years to participate in this opportunity. We visited Sydney for a little less than 24 hours. The night we flew in, we saw the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Luna Park by the twinkling night lights. 

The next morning we took the train into Circular Quay which was bustling from the Sydney marathon and walked around the Opera House in daylight. We cruised across the harbour by ferry to Manly beach where we split up to find delicious delights for lunch. It was onto the bus later that afternoon for a three hour drive to Canberra to settle into our accommodation for the week. 

Over the next five days, we visited the National Archives, CSIRO, Museum of Australia, Parliament House, Museum of Democracy, Australian War Memorial, Institute of Sport, Government House, National Art Gallery, Electoral Educational Centre, Questacon and the Royal Australian Mint. We were busy to say the least and even managed to squeeze in a few hours of shopping and a visit to Floriade. Some reflections from the students are listed below:  

“Something I learned at the Museum of Democracy was when Australia first began that many men, women, foreign and Indigenous people were not allowed to vote and had to fight in various ways for their right to voice their opinions.” - Marcelle, year 10

“ The Wall of Honour at the Australian War Memorial really impacted me, seeing all those names of people who had died for our country was a big realisation of the sacrifice they made.” - Jacob, year 9

“ I got to sign the guestbook on behalf of our group when we visited the Governor General’s residence, it’s pretty cool that I have my mark on a prominent Australian building in Canberra!” - Charli, year 11  

Despite some sickness throughout the week, students were able to participate in multiple educational programs at . At Parliament House, students engaged in a mock debate in our mini house of representatives about making university free for those eligible to study. There were a few passionate speeches as well as some discussion around the necessary amendments which would need to be made. This highlighted the importance of our parliamentary system and the ability of representational democracy to implement change. At the Australian War Memorial two year nine students were chosen to participate in the last post commemoration ceremony, laying a wreath at the Australian War Memorial in memory of a soldier who died in World War One. As the organiser of this year’s trip it was a pleasure to see the students strengthening friendships with their peers whilst engaging with their learning and the many venues within our Nation’s Capital. Although this trip is an expense to families it is offset significantly through the support of the Australian Government’s PACER program which contributes $1,275.00 per student.    

A big thank you to Barbara Gill and Kelly Sephton for their support from the administrative side as well as Melissa Patterson, Stuart Thomas, and Michael Poole for their support and flexibility on the trip.  

(Written by Heather Jefferies)