Year 6 Canberra Excursion

On Friday, the 30th of May, the Year Six students of St Thomas Aquinas were given the exciting opportunity to visit three incredible places in the heart of Canberra: The Australian Electoral Commission in Old Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, and Parliament House. To make it on time for our busy day, the class had to wake up bright and early, ready for the two-hour bus ride ahead. The journey was anything but quiet — the bus was filled with laughter, singing, chatting, and even a few fun games that made the time fly by. It was the beginning of a memorable adventure we won’t soon forget.

Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)

Year 6 had an absolutely amazing time visiting the Australian Electoral Commission. It was both incredibly fun, and super interesting! As soon as we arrived, we were shown a jam-packed video with holographics, full of fascinating information about the history of the Australian parliament. It wasn’t just any boring presentation — it had awesome effects, music, and holographics that made everything come to life, and kept the whole grade completely entertained from start to finish. After the video, we paired up with a classmate to try out a super cool interactive activity on gigantic screens.They were the size of us! On the screens, we had to help virtual people who were asking all sorts of questions about how voting works, and we had to give them the right advice to guide them through the system. It felt like we were real election helpers! Then came one of the best parts — we all took part in a mock election using the preferential voting system. Instead of politicians, we voted for our favourite fruit from a short list, and we used actual ballot papers just like in a real election. After everyone voted, we counted every single vote together as a year group to see which fruit won — and it was so exciting to watch it all unfold. The whole experience was not only packed with learning, but also filled with laughter, teamwork, and fun.

The War Memorial

After visiting the AEC, we travelled to The Australian War Memorial, and learned about all the past soldiers and their tragic stories about fighting in war. Year 6 learned about many different and unique soldiers who fought for their lives during the many wars, and we were informed about many of their amazing stories. We first watched an educational video about war, and following this, we were split into four groups to explore the War Memorial. We all viewed a plane that was actually from the war period. We then all walked to a large wall full of all the soldiers names and poppies. After, we walked into a room full of silence, and in the centre of the room, was the body of the Unknown Soldier, representing all the unknown soldiers lost to war. On the very top of the ceiling was a beautiful stained glass mural. We then watched the eternal flame which had been alight for over 35 years. We had a great time learning about all the different soldiers and how they fought for our country during their time at war.

Parliament House

Following lunch outside The War Memorial, Year 6 proceeded to Parliament House where we reenacted passing a bill, visited the House of Representatives and the Senate, and received some hospitality before travelling home. After entering Parliament House, Year 6 were guided to a room that resembled the House of Representatives, in which we were given roles such as the Speaker, The Sergeant-at-Arms and The Clerk. Next, we were directed to a viewing room in the House of Representatives and our guide pointed out some key features that we had previously learnt during History lessons at school. Year 6 were then escorted to a similar room, this time overviewing the Senate. Whilst observing their surroundings, Year 6 had fun spotting differences and similarities between the House of Representatives and the Senate. At last, it was time for some hospitality, where Year 6 were supplied with frozen yoghurt and a rest. In closing, Year 6 had a terrific experience visiting Parliament House and learning more deeply about how parliament is run.

Thank you

The Federal Government recognises the importance of young Australians being able to visit Canberra as part of our unit of work exploring the factors that led to Federation and tracing experiences of democracy and citizenship over time.  We are very lucky that the Government provides a PACER (Parliament and Civics Education Rebate) grant of $30 per student which supplemented the cost of the day. The grant is paid directly to the school at the completion of the excursion and is factored into the school fees paid for the excursion.

We really enjoyed our trip to Canberra because it was a lot of fun and a great experience for our class. Overall it was an amazing day!

Georgie Z, Hayden C and Liliana M (Year 6 students)