Canberra – Old Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and More!

What a whirlwind of a day! Our Year 9’s are smiling, chatting non-stop, but also secretly dreaming of their pillows after an epic adventure around Canberra. We’ve explored historic buildings, marvelled at incredible art, stood in quiet reflection, and even battled it out in laser tag. We’re exhausted in the best possible way — and can’t wait for more tomorrow!

We kicked off the day with a big breakfast to fuel us up, then headed straight to Old Parliament House. Walking through the old building and learning about Australia’s political past was fascinating. We focused on the role of the media in democracy and how important it is to be able to identify misinformation in the media.

Next, we stopped by the High Court of Australia and admired how grand it looked, and we even got to stop at the National Library of Australia, before making our way to the National Portrait Gallery. Everyone loved the various pieces of art – it was amazing to see such talent captured and put on display.

Lunch was a very welcome break, with tasty wraps and juice boxes giving us the energy for our next stop: the Australian War Memorial. It was a special and moving experience for many of us, taking in the stories of sacrifice and courage, and pausing quietly at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The students were especially respectful during this moment and us staff couldn’t have been prouder of them.

Then we were off to the National Museum of Australia, where there were so many interactive exhibits and cool artefacts that we could have stayed for hours (if only we’d had the energy!). Similar to yesterday, some students spent a bit of money at the various gift shops of each venue.

But the day didn’t end there — after dinner, we geared up for an epic round of laser tag. Let’s just say there was a lot of running, laughing, and pretending we weren’t as tired as we actually were!

Today, six very tired but excited students from Mr Langley’s group can’t wait to tell you about their adventures:

Caley Elmslie spoke highly of Old Parliament House: “I enjoyed learning about the power of journalism, and the impact journalists had on the Parliament of Australia. I liked how the tour guides used visual examples from both the past and the present. I also enjoyed the powerful feeling of sitting in the Prime Minister’s office and getting a sneak peek of their private bathroom.”

With regard to the Australian National Museum, Caitlin McGill said: “The exhibitions were all neatly set up to share stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The tour guide was very knowledgeable on the topics, sharing stories of inspirational Aboriginals such as John Moriarty, who was an Aboriginal part of the Stolen Generation, whose artwork ended up on a boeing 747. We also learnt about how ice-core drilling can inform us of about the climate in previous years.”

Kate Morrissey loved the National Portrait Gallery: “The National Portrait Gallery was insightful. It displayed lots of cultures, colours and perspectives from all over Australia. I really liked the collection by Thom Roberts, a man living with an intellectual disability, who uses his wonderful perspective to create beautiful pieces of art. My favourite piece “Ice Cream Man” was part of this collection.”

William Price had a connection to the Australian War Memorial, interested in trying to find information about some of his relatives: “This has been my favourite part of the tour so far. I thought it was very interesting and enjoyable to learn and see artefacts and memorabilia from World War One. I really got a sense of what happened and how hard it was for those who fought during the war. It was also really great to see how my family was connected to it as well. I really enjoyed how informative the tour guides were and how they focused on specific people and their role in World War One.”

Lara Brand also had a profound respect for the Australian War Memorial: “I really enjoyed learning about the different battles that those soldiers had to face such as Ypres, Lone Pine and Semack. I enjoyed exploring the Roll of Honour and our tour guides was very knowledgeable. It was very peaceful and quiet, and there were lots of people which I think shows just how important this is to Australians.”

James Cochrane was in his element during Laser Tag: “I really liked the team work and cooperation we had to put in to win the game. I played a game with Will, Ms James and Ms Moore. Will and I kept shooting each-other accidentally because we just got too into winning the game. It was lots of fun and I’d definitely play it again.”

Below are some lovely photos of our amazing day!*

Thank you, and have a good evening.

Warm Regards,

The HASS Tour Staff.

*Disclaimer: Some students have been de-identified due to not having photo permissions. If you are this student’s parent and/or guardian, and you would like to have the group images with your child included, please email tenesha.moore@ststephens.wa.edu.au

Zane looking at the Wall of Red Poppies.

The Wall of Red Poppies dedicated to soldiers lost during World War One.

A propaganda poster from the Australian War Memorial. Each HASS class, both from Duncraig and Carramar, had actually looked at this poster in our lessons on World War One.

The Australian War Memorial.

Caley and Kate at the National Portrait Gallery.

Students playing table tennis at the National Portrait Gallery.

Students walking towards the High Court of Australia.

Wesley, Alex and Sam in Old Parliament House.

Amelia, Ruhi, Ella-Jade, Lily, Sienna A, Sienna P and Mia at Old Parliament House.

Maria and Ryan in the National Library.


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