The students of Year 5 experienced the miserable conditions of Fremantle Prison as perhaps many a convict did some 150 years ago. The weather was wet, cold and blustery upon our arrival.
While touring the gaol, each class got to see what a flogging would’ve been like for a convict in 1850 during the establishment of the Swan River Colony. The cat ‘o’ nine tails was put to very good use by the tour guides to complete the experience for several lucky Year 5 students.
Students got to understand what life was like for these poorly treated convicts in their stark and tiny cells. They saw, first hand, the structured and hard working lives these early colonizers endured. The Year Fives were immersed in the life of a convict and even ate in the same courtyard through which Moondyne Joe made his most famous escape.
Students then used the knowledge they gained to create detailed diary entries, pretending that they are the enslaved bushranger Moondyne Joe. They marvelled, while delving into the daily lives of convicts and difficult lives of colonials. Our Year Fives are now producing a Swan River Colonial Newspaper to assist them in exploring the long history of the Fremantle Convict Establishment from its inception in 1855 to its closure in 1991.
Written by Scott Horrigan, Primary School Teacher