It is always good to see one of our members going out of their way to show people the importance of our historical background and also demonstrate the importance of federation to our country. Ms Anne Field has certainly done this. On August 10th, 2001 she coordinated and starred in a production called “A Nation at Last” which was an 1897 Constitutional Role Play. This can be seen from the 2 articles below.
Back To The Future
Men in three-piece suits and top hats; ladies in hoop skirts, bustles and feathered hats Kogarah residents on the night of August 10 were waiting for the horse and carriage to appear as they viewed the anachronism move through the middle of Queens Avenue.
An elegant procession of ladies and delegates from five States in Australia, led by Kogarah Municipal Band, made their grand entrance to the Kogarah School of Arts for the 1897 Constitutional Role Play.
The event was a fundraiser for St George Hospital, celebrating the Centenary of Federation in Kogarah and honouring Sir Joseph Carruthers, a solicitor and politician responsible for the establishment of the District of Kogarah and the development of Local Government in the area.
The role players included actors, lawyers, Members of Parliament, namely Mr. Robert McClelland, Federal Member for Baron and Shadow Attorney General, and Mr. John Mulcair, St George and Sutherland Shire Leader.
Ms Field was in charge of much, of the evening’s organisation, which required months of coordination and behind the scenes work. She also performed in the role play as one of nine Ladies, active in the movement towards Federation and the fight for women’s rights, who told of their role in Australian society at the turn of the century.
Hansika Bhagani of Year 12 and myself, Alicia Tripp of Year 11, were invited as a youth envoy to relate the story of how women fared in the decade leading up to 1 January 1901. We narrated Australian women’s history from enfranchisement to holding public office in Parliament, to the establishment of women’s prisons, women police. special regulations for women workers and a separate school syllabus for girls.
A number of Year 10 students volunteered their Friday night to usher the guests ,and audience and to serve food and refreshments during the interval. The night was a success. Ms Field’s efforts did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Mr. Mulcair presented her with a beautiful and extravagant arrangement of flowers. Mr. Mulcair also congratulated St. George Girls’ High School for consistent participation and high achievement in fundraising and community events. I accepted a lovely bouquet on the school’s behalf.
It was a rare opportunity for Hansika and I to be involved in a “special night in the history of Kogarah”. We are honoured to have our names and photographs preserved in the local archives. Our time as Victorian Ladies was an enjoyable experience but the clothing was so uncomfortable that we were glad to go back to the future!
By Alicia Tripp
Year 11
St. George Girls’ High School
The Parliamentary Education Office Fellowships
The Parliamentary Education Office is based in Parliament House Canberra, and is funded by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Its purpose is to help educate both school students and teachers, as well as the wider community about the Commonwealth Parliament and its functions and processes. The Office’s core function is to run programs for students and others who visit Parliament House.
This year, the Parliamentary education Office awarded Fellowships to eight teachers throughout Australia. Anne Field was awarded one of these Fellowships. Fellows have developed celebrations of Federation in their local communities.
The Parliamentary Education Office is very pleased to be associated with this special celebration in Kogarah. The achievement of Federation a century ago, happened because lots of people in local communities such as Kogarah, worked for an ideal that they believed was important.
Anne Field, and all those involved in this celebration, believe that Federation is important and is worth celebrating. They join the thousands of other Australians who are working locally to celebrate national events. This spirit will help define what this country becomes in the next hundred years.
Geoff Clarke
Parliamentary Education Office
This article was first published in the August 2001 edition of our magazine.
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