During the April holidays the Humanities department under-took a study tour to Sydney and Canberra. The purpose of the tour was for our Senior School students to experience first-hand Australia’s federal political institutions and major elements of the historical background to our nation’s development.
The political focus of the tour included visits to the Federal Parliament building where the students enjoyed participating in a scripted scenario illustrating the passage of a bill through the House of Representatives. A guided tour of the House of Representatives and Senate followed so the students could view the theatres of national political debate. Students were also able to view a 1297 reproduction of the Magna Carta, a document initially created at Runnymede, England in 1215 and signed by dastardly King John. It is a charter that underpins the democratic values enjoyed by our citizens and it is astonishing to believe that the document is over eight hundred years old.
The students were exceptionally fortunate in having a chance encounter with the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cos-grove. Our meeting with His Excellency was not scheduled as part of our visit to his residence at Yarralumla; however, being in residence he willingly spent thirty minutes outlining his constitutional role and answering the students’ questions ranging from enquiries about his daily routine to his experiences in East Timor where he was in control of the United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Students also managed to gain a real sense of Canberra’s growth through their time at the National Capital Exhibition Centre; as well as Australia’s historical development through visits to the National Museum, War Memorial and the National Archive, where one of the only two original copies of our Constitution is stored. At the Archive students were also able to see the Proclamation by Queen Victoria announcing and authorising the Federation of the Australian colonies on 1st January, 1901. It was fitting for our young Australians to see the direct link between the constitutional principles outlined in Magna Carta and the documents that comprise Australia’s ‘birth certificate’.
Whilst in Canberra the group was able to enjoy other attractions such as a cruise on Lake Burley Griffin, star gazing at Mount Stromlo, analysing Australian identity at the National Archive of Film and Sound and “science on steroids” as one student described Questacon. Similar activities were also enjoyed in Sydney with time spent at Taronga Zoo, the Opera House and a cruise taking in the main features of the city’s famed harbour. The discovery of a Starbucks outlet close to Circular Quay was also a distinct highlight for many students along with an early morning walk to stand out-side “Brekky Central” and watch the production of Sunrise on Channel 7. Perhaps the highlight of our time in Sydney was the Bridge Climb at dusk where many students overcame their initial fear of heights to enjoy majestic views of Australia’s largest city as the sun went down and the horizon electrified under a multitude of lights.