Last week Tottenham Central School from N.S.W. visited Louisa’s Walk as part of a five day excursion to Tasmania. The teachers told me that the students had been fundraising for a long time to raise the money needed for the trip – well done everyone. It’s great for students to work to achieve goals and to understand that rewards, such as travel, come as a result.
They were a great audience and, even though the majority of the class of 23 was made up largely of boys, they were attentive and supportive of our performance. Even though Louisa’s story is, naturally about a woman we find that it appeals equally to both male and female simply because it is a mesmerising story. Right back as far as early man, human beings have communicated using storytelling. Louisa’s Walk communicates factual history in such a way that by the end, the audience has absorbed almost by osmosis, heaps of historical information. We like to compare experiencing Louisa’s Walk with reading a well researched historical novel whereas the guided tour is like a history text book.
I felt a real moment of “YES!” when, walking along the road as Louisa heading for the Female Factory, I heard a group of girls talking behind me, one said “Imagine what it would have been like to have lived then and put up with all this. I would rather have been tipped over the side (of the transportation ship)”. If we can achieve “imagine whats” from an age group that is traditionally not very interested in our past, I think we are succeeding in, at the very least, stimulating an interest in our history. I particularly like showcasing Louisa’s story to teenage girls just so that they can appreciate the hard won freedom that woman (in some parts of the world) enjoy today.
The teacher organising Tottenham Central’s excursion was kind enough to email us to tell us that Louisa’s Walk had been one of the best activities on their trip to Tasmania. Thanks Guys!
Another mainland school to have visited Louisa’s Walk is Somerset College from Queensland who come over for a trip, to experience the winter cold of June in Tasmania, every year.. They discovered us two years ago and have booked in for their third visit next June already – we look forward to meeting the students and taking them on Louisa’s journey.
