Batemans Bay students to get the lesson of a lifetime when State Library comes to town
Students in the Batemans Bay region will get up close with rare historical objects when the State Library of NSW brings its FAR Out! Treasures to the Bush immersive educational program to local classrooms this week.
According to State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon: “The FAR Out! program is like no other, taking original items from the Library’s collection to regional and rural schools across NSW. It is a rare and magical opportunity for students to connect with Australian history in a profound and tangible way.”
From Tuesday 17 March to Thursday 19 March over 400 students in the Batemans Bay area will take part, with the tour visiting these five local schools:
- Mogo Public School
- Batemans Bay Public School
- St. Bernard’s Primary School, Batehaven
- Sunshine Bay Public School
- Broulee Public School
The Library’s Learning team will bring props, costumes and even a story of a stowaway to engage students in fun, interactive activities about the navigators who mapped the Australian coastline.
Students will also see priceless treasures from the Library’s collection, including:
- a hand-painted pocket globe, just 7 cm in diameter, from 1754
- a map from 1703 of the voyage to New Holland by William Dampier, a navigator and naturalist who became the first Englishman to explore parts of what is today Australia
- a word list from the Moruya District (1899 – 1903) detailing First Nations placenames for the local area
- a 1619 journal detailing the extraordinary journeys of Dutch navigator Willem Corneliszoon Schouten, with an account of his search for the ‘Southern Land’.
“FAR Out! is an important experience for students across NSW as well as teachers,” says Pauline Fitzgerald, the State Library’s Head of Learning.
“Everyone who takes part goes away knowing more about our shared history and how the State Library’s collection brings that history to life.”
The FAR Out! program proudly ensures equitable access to Australia’s history for all NSW students with the generous support of the State Library of NSW Foundation.