Year 6 Canberra Excursion

Last week, Year 6 visited Canberra to complement their learning of Australian democracy and citizenship in History. The excursion spanned three days and two nights with a busy itinerary that ensured the girls made the most of this valuable learning experience. 

On Monday, our Canberra excursion began with an in-depth look at the history of Australian democracy at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) at Old Parliament House. Through the program People Power and Making Change, the girls explored the stories of significant events in Australia’s history, including the legacy of past Prime Ministers. A highlight of the MoAD was the opportunity to sit in the House of Representatives. The girls experienced history by sitting in this historic chamber of Old Parliament House and learnt more about parliamentary roles and procedures. Following this, we then visited new Parliament House and were taken on a tour of the House of Representatives and the Senate. During this tour, the girls learnt about the function and purpose of Australia’s democratic system of government by exploring how laws are made through Australian Parliament, the responsibilities of members of parliament, the formation of government and how the government is kept accountable. In the Parliamentary Education Office, the girls had the opportunity to become members of parliament and debate a bill in the House of Representatives. Complete with Aerin Murphy as Prime Minister, Claire Tesvic as Opposition Leader, Eve Parker as Speaker, Charlotte Randall as Clerk and Matilta Tatlow as Serjeant-at-Arms, the bill about the advertisement on free-to-air television was hotly debated by the very passionate and articulate parliamentary members!

The next morning, we headed to the National Electoral Education Centre to understand more about the electoral process. This was a firsthand experience in which the girls ran their own election in a dedicated polling venue. The four candidates were Orange, Apple, Peach and Banana! The girls were fully immersed in the election day process including posting a vote, guarding the ballot box, counting votes and preferences, and scrutineering the official counters. We had two polling venues in operation with the winning candidate being Peach! It was then onto the Australian War Memorial. The We Will Remember Them program encouraged the girls to think about the reasons for our continued commemoration of the service and sacrifice of Australian servicemen and women. The girls listened to stories of servicemen and women and learnt about the significance of symbols of commemoration including the poppy. A change of pace was had once we arrived at Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre. Engaging, hands-on activities filled every floor.

The final stop for the day was the Australian Institute of Sport. We were treated to a tour of the AIS facilities including the gymnastics centre, volley centre, weights room (which was bigger than our entire Sports Hall!) and swim training complex. The girls then got right into the spirit of Australian sport to find out what it takes to become a high performance athlete. In the Sportex exhibit, the girls tested their skills at a range of different challenges including virtual downhill skiing, rock climbing, football penalty shootouts, reaction speed and flexibility tests.

On our final day, we visited Government House, the official residence of the Governor-General. This completed our exploration of Australian democracy and citizenship in seeing where Prime Ministers and Ministers are sworn into office and where the achievements of Australia’s most outstanding citizens are officially recognised. Set over 130 acres, it was a beautiful residence to visit, full of traditions and history, including a formal dining table that seats 50 guests for official occasions hosted by the Governor-General. To our surprise and delight, the girls were greeted by the Governor-General himself, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd). He was very generous with his time to share stories about his work and allowed the girls to ask him questions – of which they had many! Meeting Australia’s Head of State is sure to be a memory the girls will treasure for years to come. Our final destination was the National Gallery of Australia. Working in small groups, we were taken on a guided tour to explore and study the artworks of many famous artists. We had an opportunity to sit on portable chairs (which was appreciated by our weary legs!) and carefully analyse each artwork. This was a lovely way to end our Canberra experience.

A special thank you to Mrs Gloor, Miss Schwartz, Ms Tamminga, Miss Senes and Mrs Gardner who accompanied me on the excursion and did a brilliant job looking after the girls for three days. I look forward to seeing the girls build on this learning experience back in the classroom.

Cristi Wilsmore
Deputy Head of Primary (Teaching and Learning)