Memories, First-Time Experiences, Snow and Fun!

Our annual Canberra Trip delivered it all this year! Forty Year 9 students travelled to Canberra and Jindabyne for a memorable week exploring the national capital’s iconic sights, learning about Australia’s history and democracy, and creating lifelong memories.

On our first day, students visited the National Gallery of Australia, the National Archives of Australia and the National Museum of Australia. Unfortunately, our planned cycle around Lake Burley Griffin had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. Nevertheless, students enjoyed seeing famous works by artists including Vincent Namatjira and Arthur Streeton at the National Gallery and marvelled at the enormous size of Phar Lap’s heart at the National Museum.

Students were enthralled on Day 2 when they saw our national Parliament in action, witnessing divisions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Of course, one hour was never going to be enough time at the Australian War Memorial, but the visit left our students eager to return and explore it more thoroughly.

By Day 3, our four groups were firmly established, complete with names, hand signals and plenty of friendly rivalry: the Emus with Mr Matson, the Sharks with Mr Beeck, the Kangaroos with Ms Walker and the Sea Turtles with Mr Bird.

At the zoo, students in the Emus group were surprised to discover that the resident emu did not take kindly to their group leader, pecking at Mr Matson’s toes while being fed! Handling snakes and feeding the alpacas were among the other highlights of the visit.

Thursday saw us up bright and early in Jindabyne for our much-anticipated day in the snow. The weather was magical, and students spent the day sliding down the slopes, having snowball fights and building snowmen, all while learning about the Snowy Mountains environment and the importance of conservation.

It was a very tired and quiet group that boarded the bus on Friday for our return to Canberra—apart from a small group at the back who kept us entertained with an enthusiastic selection of songs! We finished our trip with a visit to the Australian Institute of Sport before heading to the airport for our journey home.

We were incredibly proud of our students throughout the week. They represented ASHS with maturity, respect and pride, making the entire trip a genuine delight.

Special thanks must go to Mr Robert Matson, Mr Paul Beeck, Ms Melissa Walker and our parent volunteer, Mr Mark Bird, for generously giving their time to accompany and support our students. We also extend our sincere thanks to our bus driver, Adam from Port Stephens Coaches, who went above and beyond to help make the trip such a roaring success.

We gratefully acknowledge the Australian Government’s generous financial support for our students through the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program:

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $1,530.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Finally, thank you to all the parents and carers who supported their children to attend. We look forward to another fantastic Canberra Trip next year! Expression of Interest forms will soon be sent home to our current Year 8 students.