Over the last term break, 28 of our year 9 students and five Kennedy staff members undertook a wonderful educational tour of our national capital Canberra and the city of Sydney.
Starting in Canberra, with many exciting and unexpected experiences!
We spent the first 4 nights in Canberra with students participating in educational programs that focused on our nation’s history, culture and democratic traditions. While there we visited some iconic Australian locations such as Questacon, Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Capital Exhibition, The Royal Australian Mint, the Australian War Memorial, National Portrait Gallery (where some of the students got to meet famous Australian author Andy Griffiths) and Government House.
Whilst at Government House, our visit coincided with a presentation of credentials ceremony. We were able to watch the ceremony where the new Ambassador from Slovenia presented their Letter of Credence to the Governor General. An Australian military band played the national anthem and the new Ambassador, accompanied by the Governor General then inspected a guard detail of Navy, Army and Airforce personnel. At the end of the ceremony, the Governor General (Sam Mostyn) then walked over to our group and spent a few minutes speaking with our students. An unplanned and unexpected experience for our students!
In Parliament House, the students were not only given a tour of the building but also participated in a mock debate on the passing of a Bill.
Then we headed off to Sydney!
In Sydney we were accommodated at the YHA in The Rocks, with great views of Circular Quay, the Opera House and of course the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We visited more Australian landmarks such as The Opera House, Bondi Beach, The National Maritime Museum, the Westfield Sydney Eye lookout and of course had to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge! An incredible experience for our staff and students.
Overall, the trip was a huge success with many great experiences and memories for both the students and staff.
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 of $510 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards these costs in 2026. The rebate is paid directly to the college upon completion of the excursion.
Mr Greg Newell
Canberra – Sydney Study Tour Coordinator.
At the start of Term 3, our community had the opportunity to explore all the various student tours available for sign-up. Take a look at the tours offered at Kennedy below.
More about the tours offered at Kennedy
