On Friday the 22nd March, Grade 4 were excited to visit St Helena Island, which is Queensland’s first jail and most historic island. It was established in 1867!
Setting off from school at 7.30am, we arrived at Manly with plenty of time to spare. At 9am we boarded the ferry. As we neared the island, the excitement was growing! Some children were lucky enough to see a dolphin playing in the waves. After we hopped off the ferry, we walked along a jetty leading to the island. The wind and rain did not dampen our spirits as we passed a very old looking shark proof swimming pool. Our guide told us some interesting stories about its history and pointed out the remains of an old jetty that had led up to it so many years ago.
We spent the day walking the beautiful national park and stopping at various buildings to learn about life on St Helena Island. We were able to visit the local cemetery where we heard fascinating tales of the people who used to work and live at the prison. There was a museum which contained a model of the island as it would have been in 1867, the children found it really interesting.
The day concluded with a funny and informative show on punishment! Our very own Indiana and Nathaniel were the stars. Nathaniel proved to be an excellent wielder of the Cat o’ nine tails whip!
We were extra fortunate to have some amazing parents accompany us on our trip and Ms Bhugon and I were so grateful! Logan, Lincoln, Nicholas, and Allie – your parents are wonderful! Thank you to Mrs G and Mrs Earnshaw too – what a team!
We had a great day and a massive thank you to Ms Bhugon who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for the excursion to occur.