From the telescope of explorer Ludwig Leichhardt to the diary of an 1840s first-class passenger, students will see history come to life when the State Library of NSW brings historical artefacts to schools on the South Coast, from Tuesday, March 9.
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According to state librarian John Vallance, this will be the first time these rare pieces of our shared history will be shown in the area, as part of the State Library's FAR Out! Treasures to the Bush initiative.
"The last year has been unusual, to put it mildly. But now we are delighted to see the return of the FAR Out! program in 2021, thanks to the support of the State Library Foundation," Dr Vallance said.
"Our first stop is in areas affected by last summer's appalling bushfires. We are hoping that hundreds of students and their teachers from at least five schools in the South Coast will get to benefit from the program."
The FAR Out! team is visiting schools in Batemans Bay, Broulee, Batehaven, Mogo and Moruya.
From March 9 to 11, specialist members of the State Library's staff will start conversations about early migration to Australia organised around a selection of the Library's treasures including:
- Convict Mary Reibey's land grant, 1812
- First-class ship passenger Arthur Wilcox Manning's journal, 1839-1840
- Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt's telescope, 1842
- Gold prospector George Charles Johnson's personal papers, 1872
"The State Library of NSW is the home of Australia's history," manager, Learning Services, Pauline Fitzgerald said. "Students will have the unique opportunity to get 'up close' to original material and hear the fascinating stories behind these iconic items."
FAR Out! connects students and teachers to the amazing resources and learning services the State Library has to offer onsite, online and in the community. In the past 10 years over 70 per cent of NSW schools (and nearly 30,000 students in regional areas) have participated in State Library learning programs.
To support schools during the difficult year that was 2020, the library hosted over 169 free virtual excursions for almost 22,000 participants around Australia and beyond.
"We will continue to deliver our popular virtual programs but now that restrictions on school excursions have eased, we are excited to welcome students back into the library and take our programs on the road again. We want to give students every opportunity to learn, and nothing beats seeing the real thing," Ms Fitzgerald said.
