Woodhill State School students travelled to St Helena Island last term to extend their historical knowledge of the area.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The year 5 and 6 students travelled over to the island and spent the day looking at historical landmarks.
Teacher Deborah Kim said the excursion tied into the historical knowledge and understanding of the Australian curriculum.
“It was great for the students to get a real feel for how harsh the conditions would have been for both the prisoners as well as for the guards who worked there,” she said.
“In particular, the nature of convict and colonial presence, including the factors that influenced patterns of development and aspects of the daily life of inhabitants.
“By experiencing the trip over to the island and the day on the island, the students learnt how hard it must have been for both the convicts and the guards and other workers of that time.”
Ms Kim said the students could see how hard it would have been for the convicts to escape and the poor living conditions for everyone.
“They started to see the harsh conditions of the dry, hot and rough area.
“They also got a feel for the bugs, having to do everything by hand and by use of hard labour.
“Even the trip over on the boat in high winds would have been rough.
“It was a great learning experience of our Moreton Bay area.”
Next year students will take part in a different curriculum area focused excursion.
