CANBERRA TRIP
Australian Government Assistance for Canberra Excursion
Students from Balaklava High School have recently undertaken an educational tour of the nation's capital. Whilst on this tour, students participated in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit their National Capital as part of their civics and citizenship education. To assist schools in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program. All students who participated in this excursion will be refunded $135 through this program to alleviate the travel costs incurred by this trip.
We would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this program.
The activities undertaken during this trip have been outlined below.
We hope that this excursion was a rewarding experience for all students.
On the 30th of April a group of 45 students from Years 10-12 departed Balaklava High School for a 4.5 day trip to Canberra, ACT. The students undertook a busy few days in the nation’s capital, taking in a range of educational, historic and cultural sights and experiences and were able to further their understanding of Australia’s unique history and heritage, and how our democracy operates.
Over the 4.5 days in Canberra students visited Parliament House (and participated in a House of Representatives role play), the Royal Australian Mint, the Australian War Memorial and ANZAC Parade Walk, National Electoral Education Centre, Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), a guided cruise on Lake Burley Griffin, the National Gallery of Australia, High Court of Australia, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Sportex, National Capital Exhibition (The Story of Canberra), Questacon: National Science and Technology Centre, Government House, and the Mount Ainslie Lookout.
On behalf of the entire BHS Canberra Trip group, I would like to thank the attending staff (Mr Parsons and Jules) and our parent volunteer Brigitte Brooker for their work in supervising and engaging with students throughout the trip, as well as parents and families for their support of this unique opportunity.
A special thank you also goes to Elly Rankin for all of her hard work behind the scenes, from collecting medical information to managing all aspects of finances for the trip.
Luke Clark
On the 30th of April 45 Balaklava High School students went on a 15 hour long bus trip to Canberra. Some of the places we visited were the Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the Royal Australian Mint, War Memorial Drive, the Art Gallery, a cruise on Lake Burley Griffin and lots of other popular tourist attractions. One of my favorite places we visited was the War Memorial, I liked seeing all the poppies on the wall for all the soldiers, but I would’ve liked if we had more time to walk around and look at everything ourselves, it was also cool going up to the top of Mount Ainslie and looking at the view of Canberra from up high. Overall Canberra was very cold and foggy but a great experience and I learnt a lot about the history of Australia and politics.
Tilly Woidt
The Canberra Trip was a very jam packed but well scheduled tour. We had the opportunity to see many things not everyone has access to. For me personally the Australian Institute of Sport, Government House and the War Memorial were highlights. I really enjoyed seeing a different part of the country that I was so unaware of. I learnt a lot that I know I would not have learnt without going on the Canberra trip.
Bella Pratt
On Sunday, the 30th of April, we left for a Canberra Trip for six days. We drove on the bus overnight to get to Canberra, it was a long trip. The trip was organised by the school and WorldStrides with Mr Clark and Mr Parsons leading the way. The trip included visits to the War Memorial, Parliament House, Government House, AIS, The High Court, Questacon, The Royal Australian Mint, Museum of Australian Democracy, The Electoral Education Centre, The National Capital Exhibition, a cruise on Lake Burley-Griffin, a bus trip looking at all of the Embassies from other Countries in Canberra, and also ten-pin bowling. My favourite part of the trip was the War Memorial, I wish we had spent more time at there.
Matthew Brooker
In Parliament House we were able to do a mock reading and passing of a bill in our own version of the House of Representatives, before we got to visit the real House of Representatives as well as the Senate. Being able to learn about these processes in an interactive way, and at the actual site, provided a memorable and insightful experience.
The Canberra trip provided many opportunities to do some hands on learning outside the classroom and provided many insights into life away from school, and how our parliament functions. We learnt many valuable things, like how to properly vote and that it is impossible to get a good nights sleep on a bus. A big thank you to everyone that organised the trip!
Brooke Michalanney
Wednesday morning, we went to the AIS. The AIS stands for the Australian Institute of Sport and this was my favourite place in Canberra, we got to see the commitments that athletes must undertake to be professionals in their sports. The last day we went on a beautiful bus tour and saw Canberra in its grand scale and, before long our trip was over. I never foresaw how amazing Canberra would be and I can’t wait to return.
Sebastien Hughes
Overall, the trip to Canberra was eye-opening and educational while still allowing us to have a fantastic time. I would definitely recommend that people give themselves the chance to visit Canberra at some point in their lives, as it will be a decision they won’t regret.
Chelsea Mason
