Humanities
European Study Tour
Students who attended the European Study Tour at the end of Term 1 are taking over the Humanities article for this edition. This was the inaugural tour focusing on History and Politics for this school and hopefully, may be running again in future years. Students were in The Netherlands, Belgium and France in the last two weeks of March, visiting diverse and curriculum relevant sites. We were fortunate to be in France and Belgium just prior to the ANZAC Day commemorations there and we found our visits to Commonwealth War memorials and graves particularly moving and I know that these visits will be with the students forever.
Additionally, we visited a number of museums and art galleries, looking in particular at pieces of art which we studied in their historical context. Lastly, we were extremely fortunate to visit the International Court of Justice in The Hague and were given a private tour behind the scenes and into the judges’ chambers and the courtrooms while they were out of session. Students were extremely interested in what our guide shared with us and she commented on their very high level of knowledge and the quality of questions they asked. Please read below a range of student thoughts on our tour.
If you would like to hear more about the places visited and view more images, visit the link below.
Carolyn Callaghan
Learning Leader: Humanities
Student Reflections
The History and Politics Study Tour to Europe will forever be a highlight of the four staff and 28 students’ time at Kilbreda. Every place allowed us to fully immerse ourselves into the European culture and the history of those cities, whether it was a World War I or World War II site, a fascinating museum, stunning cathedrals and castles with beautiful architectural designs or trying different cultural cuisines.
Day 4 in the Hague was one of my favourite days of the trip. We visited the Mauritshuis Museum, which consists of 854 objects, including Vermeer’s ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’. The small and quiet museum allowed staff and students to admire each individual artwork and the timeless house itself, inside of which the main museum was constructed. We then travelled to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) where we met our incredible guide, Joanne, who took us through to the ICJ Court Room and Judge’s Chambers. Joanne was insightful and her tour was inspiring for all students.
On Day 6 in Ypres, Elizabeth Jones (Year 10), Matilda Dunn (Year 12) and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate on behalf of the College. The ceremony was incredibly special to all and we are grateful to have been able to pay our respects to the fallen soldiers.
Day 8 was a busy day in Amiens with a specialised guided tour with Brigitte who had an extensive knowledge of the history of WWI. We visited a range of places such as the Villers Bretonneux Adelaide Cemetery, Villers Bretonneux Victoria School, Villers Bretonneux Australian National Memorial, the John Monash Centre, Pozieres Australian Memorial and Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Park. During these visits we received a deep understanding of the impact Australian soldiers had during WWI. We also had the honour of walking on the land on which they fought, saw the trenches they dug and appreciated their sacrifice.
On behalf of all students on the tour, we sincerely thank Ms Stephanie Smyth, Ms Sue Dempster, Ms Carolyn Callaghan and Mr Vince Camera who looked after us and were our proxy guardians. This trip was a landmark in our lives and the friendships and memories that we made and consolidated was something that we will never forget.
Alicia Vu
Year 11
In the Term 1 holidays we and 26 other students flew to the continent of Europe and gained so much knowledge about the history and politics of The Netherlands, Belgium and France. So many friendships and connections were formed across Years 10, 11 and 12. It was such a life altering experience for us as a group.
On our second day in the Netherlands we hopped on the bus and drove to The Hague where we got to visit the International Court of Justice. Our guide educated us that a panel of 15 judges participate in court sessions related to crimes as serious as wars between countries, murder etc. All of these judges are different races from across the globe. As many of us are law students this was fascinating to learn about.
One of our favorite memories from Paris was visiting the Arc de Triomphe; it was an evening we will not forget. It was a highlight because we got to pay our respects to the French soldiers who fought during the French Revolution, as the Arc honours it. We walked up to the top of the Arc where we watched the sun go down. Our number 1 memory was seeing the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle on one of the last nights of the trip. It was an amazing evening!
Of course as a history tour we visited many museums but our favourite was the iconic monument, The Louvre. Our group of five rushed straight to the Mona Lisa and when we walked in there were crowds gathered to get a glimpse of her. It was so cool watching enigmatic expressions and atmospheric illuminism. After this we walked around looking at the Greek and Roman sculptures and archaeological finds. We gained so much knowledge from this day trip.
Overall, our 2024 Europe trip was an unforgettable experience filled with laughter and memories. It was a great opportunity that we Kilbreda students got to undertake!
Maddison Armanini and Ruby Dyett
Year 10
28 students from Years 10, 11 and 12 were lucky enough to embark on the 2024 Kilbreda Europe trip together to The Netherlands, Belgium and France. We each created our own core memories on this trip thanks to our friends and wonderful teachers, Mr Camera, Mrs Dempster, Ms Callaghan, Mrs Smyth as well as our lovely tour guide, Priscilla. Here are some of my highlights from the trip!
Mauritius Museum in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The Mauritius museum has two storeys filled to the brim with breathtaking masterpieces that vary from portraits of historical figures to roman mythology interpretations. One thing I loved and appreciated the most about the Mauritius Museum, was that all the other groups of people admiring the artwork were very respectful of their surroundings. It was not particularly busy or crowded, but people would talk in a whisper, politely line up to take photos of popular paintings, and did not go on their phones to browse on social media or take phone calls. This made my personal experience a lot more enjoyable, since I found I could connect with the art a lot more and take my time admiring the paintings!
Leonidas Chocolate Store in Leper, Belgium.
On our lunch break after visiting the Flanders Fields Museum in Belgium, my sister Elisabeth, Annabelle Chapman, Grace Robbins, Alicia Vu, Alex Ferraro, Chelsea Sheppard and I all made our way to a familiar chocolate store we had visited before in the previous city we visited, Leonidas Leper.
I had not had a chance to buy any famous Belgium chocolate from this store before, but had high hopes due to its overwhelming love from the group. The minute we stepped in the store, we were greeted by this lovely lady – who clearly had picked up that we were Australian and quietly passed that information onto the infamous Hans.
The very first thing Hans had said to us was “AUSSIES!!!” almost as a cheer and we very enthusiastically returned the gesture. Hans then began to work his salesman skills and proceeded to sell ALL of us on an ‘Australian Student Group Deal’, which consists of a durable bar of travel safe chocolate, a mini box of chocolates which he described as “something for you”, our pick from anything off the shelf and a free pack of caramel fudge, all for 12 Euro.
Hans left us with an unforgettable experience and a wonderful group photo!
Arc de Triomphe (and Eiffel Tower) in Paris, France.
As beautiful and historic as the Arc de Triomphe is, the stairs to the stop are certainly not for the weak! It starts off with possibly the longest spiral staircase I have ever had the displeasure of walking up and down. The closer you got to the top, the more people you would see on the sides taking a breather but cheering you on (I had no shame in taking at least three breaks). The next few stairs were very mild compared to what we just had to endure, but once we got to the top, it was definitely worth it.
The view of one of the most beloved and famous cities in the world was absolutely breathtaking. It was such an unbelievable experience to be able to witness the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle as our Kilbreda trip to Europe began to close.
Annabelle McCartney
Year 11
Recently we had an opportunity to travel through some of Europe’s beautiful countries. As we landed in Amsterdam we were met with gorgeous architecture and bikes everywhere!!! When travelling through this incredible city we were able to visit the works of Vincent van Gogh, which was a personal highlight for me. This museum houses the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) in the world. Being able to see the sunflower painting is one of the most vivid memories for me on this trip.
When we arrived in Paris, all the group were extremely excited as there many activities that we would be doing, such as going to The Lourve, Disneyland and going up the Arc de Triomphe. When arriving at the Arc de Triomphe we walked around and took in the beautiful details such as the sculptures surrounding the Arc and the names of the French Victories. The Arc was a major highlight and was worth the long walk up the spiral stairs. From the top we saw the 12 avenues of Paris lit up as the sun was setting. However, the best part was watching the Eiffel Tower sparkling up at 9.00pm as our little groups were vying for the best position possible to watch.
Another activity that we all enjoyed was the last post at Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. Throughout the day we all explored the small town and learnt a lot about Belgian history through the Flanders Fields Museum, where we learned about the Belgians participation in World War 1. In the afternoon, we witnessed a last post ceremony at Menin Gate to honour those who had fallen throughout the war and it was very meaningful to us all.
Alana Black and Renata Brown
Year 12