REPRESENTING AND COMMEMORATING HISTORY · erected in memory of Burke and Wills, the Australian...

AN EDUCATION RESOURCE FOR PRIMARY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE BURKE AND WILLS EXPLORER FOUNTAIN PROJECT

Linked to VELS Levels 2, 3 & 4 and the Australian History Curriculum

SOVEREIGN HILL EDUCATIONBALLARAT CITY COUNCILVICTORIAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT HERITAGE VICTORIATHE ROYAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA

REPRESENTING AND COMMEMORATING HISTORY

WHAT, WHO, WHY AND HOW?

© Ilya Genkin

SOVEREIGN HILLEDUCATION

Introduction & Acknowledgements Background Information The ResearchCurriculum Links

PART 1: Commemorations in the local context: monuments and what they say about the timesOverviewCurriculum Links Learning Activities 1. The Local Past2. Reading Monuments3. Ghost Cities4. History Vanished 5. Monument Audit6. In Memory

PART 2: Local history within the national story: Burke and Wills and their connection to Ballarat OverviewCurriculum Links Learning Activities1. Burke and Wills Basics2. The Making of Victoria3. Why Explore?4. Ballarat's Connection to Burke and Wills

PART 3: Representing history: understanding the origin and purpose of historical resources OverviewCurriculum Links Learning Activities 1. Understanding Collections (excursion)2. Primary and Secondary Sources3. What's Missing?4. My History 5. Commemorations of History

Resources: websites and books

Contents

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The 'Representing and Commemorating

History Education Resource' is a document

to support teachers delivering the history

curriculum in the primary years. It covers key

areas of local and national history as well as

developing a range of historical skills. It will

be useful for teachers designing a Unit of

Work on Australian History. The resource was

designed to support a joint project between

The Sovereign Hill Museums Association, the

Ballarat City Council, Heritage Victoria, The

Royal Society of Victoria and the Victorian

Department of Education and Early Childhood

Development to retrieve a time capsule

suspected to have been placed in the Burke

and Wills Memorial Fountain in Sturt Street,

Ballarat. Broadly, however, this resource will

be useful to teachers and students beyond

just the local area as it deals with common

historical themes and is aligned not only to

VELS but also shows links to the Australian

History Curriculum.

This resource contains three parts, each with

a different learning focus. Part 1 is centred

in local history and provides useful activities

for exploring these areas with students in

Years 2-4 in particular, but can be expanded

for older students. Part 2 is specifically

targeted at the Year 5 curriculum covering

topics of colonisation, exploration and gold.

Part 3 contains mainly skills-based activities

designed to build students' proficiency in

identifying and analysing sources in Years

3-6. Part 3 can easily be combined with Part

1 or Part 2. We encourage teachers to alter or

expand upon the activity suggestions to suit

their needs and those of their students.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sovereign Hill Education gratefully

acknowledges the assistance of the

following organisations in the production

of this resource kit.

The Sovereign Hill Museums Association

Ballarat City Council

Heritage Victoria

Victorian Department of Education and Early

Childhood Development

The Royal Society of Victoria

© The Sovereign Hill Museums Association 2011

INTRODUCTION


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Historians can sometimes offer answers to mysteries, but they also often discover new mysteries.

In 2010, the possibility of a time capsule being interred in a Burke and Wills Memorial Fountain

was suggested by someone with a keen interest in local history. Our historians at Sovereign Hill

then began the process of investigating this possibility. They analysed primary sources such as

newspaper articles and pictures, which seemed to confirm that there had been a time capsule

placed in the fountain. The mystery was: does it remain there today? If so, what secrets of the

past did it hold?

About the Fountain

At the intersection of Sturt and Lydiard Streets, in the centre of Ballarat, stands a monument

erected in memory of Burke and Wills, the Australian explorers. They died in 1861 while

attempting to find a way across the Australian continent from south to north. Ballarat felt a special

need to commemorate this event, because the father of Wills, Burke's second-in-command on

the expedition, had lived and practised medicine in Ballarat for some years. Wills himself had

also lived in Ballarat for a short time. Not only that, Ballarat felt pride in the achievements of the

expedition that many believed was only made possible by the wealth from the goldfields.

In December 1861, the Eastern and Western Ballarat Councils met to discuss a memorial to the

explorers. The architect Canute Andersen proposed a lavish clock tower worth £1000 and the

councils began raising money.

In February 1863, the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly, was invited to lay the foundation stone at the

corner of Sturt and Lydiard Streets. A bottle or 'time capsule' containing coins and copies of two

Ballarat newspapers was deposited in the foundations, but then the councils ran into debt and the

bluestone foundation and proposed clock tower remained unfinished.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In March 1866, the Western Municipal Council decided they should complete the monument.

By now public enthusiasm had dwindled so the plans for the monument were revised and a much

simpler, cheaper design of a fountain was chosen. Another foundation stone was laid in June 1867

and according to newspaper reports, the 'time capsule' was re-laid by the Mayor. The fountain

was finished by the end of the year.

More information about the Ballarat Fountain can be found here:

http://www.burkeandwills.net.au/Memorials/ballarat.htm

Far left: A sketch of the lavish bluestone clock tower

proposed as the original monument. Herman Deutsch

(1833 – 1870) The Victorian Explorers Monument

© Ballarat Historical Society Collection, Gold Museum,

Ballarat

Left: Actual monument. Australian Exploration –

Monument to Burke and Wills at Ballarat.

© Gold Museum Ballarat, The Graphic,

January 23, 1875

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THE RESEARCH

The Research

One of Sovereign Hill's historians spent some time researching the story about the Burke and Wills

fountain in Ballarat.

Secondary sources, such as books on Ballarat history, suggested the chronicle of events, but then

it was necessary to confirm these by going back to newspapers of the day to check dates and

other details. Old newspapers are often stored on Microfilm or Microfiche (like a film reel or slides)

allowing them to last longer.

Luckily, these newspapers were available at the Ballarat Library, and contained vivid descriptions

of the ceremonies surrounding the laying of the two foundation stones, as well as confirming

details of the contents of the time capsule.

Public records at the Public Record Office of Victoria (Ballarat Branch) were also consulted, and

these documented in more formal detail the efforts of the Ballarat Council to initiate the building

of the monument. These records also record the attempts, three years later, to recover the project,

redesign the monument, secure the funding, and finally proceed with the building. As well, a letter

was found from Canute Andersen, giving a detailed description of the 1867 monument, and a letter

advising the Borough of Ballarat of the specifications of the iron castings for the fountain.

The research conducted used both primary and secondary resources, and most of these appear to

confirm the existence of the time capsule, and the fact that it was placed in a particular position at

the base of the Ballarat Fountain in 1867. However, until the archaeological excavations take place,

we will not know for certain whether the capsule (a bottle) is actually where it was supposed to be,

and whether it, and its documented contents (coins and newspapers) have survived.

It is important to understand that things that happened in the past are not necessarily correctly

recorded, and that we can’t always rely on just one source of information. What historians need to

do is to investigate as many different kinds of evidence as possible, and from the information we

find, put together a story about what has gone before which is as nearly 'true' as we can make it.

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CURRICULUM LINKS

The activities in this kit are suitable for students in Years 2-6. There are areas of key focus that

allow students to develop their proficiency in the curriculum requirements of the Victorian Essential

Learning Standards. The areas of VELS that this kit is specifically designed to meet are:

Level 2

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in the Humanities, they develop

their understanding of the concepts of time – chronology and sequencing, and change and

continuity – through a study of changes in the local community over time. Through observation,

they investigate and describe elements of the natural and built environments in their local area.

They begin to make basic comparisons between 'then' and 'now' and learn to construct simple

timelines to show their understanding.

Level 3

Students apply the concepts of time, continuity and change through a study of the history and

traditions of Australians. They examine stories, artefacts and other evidence from the past and

present to learn about Australian society and its origins, such as the history of national symbols,

including the flag, and key commemorations and celebrations such as Anzac Day and Labour Day.

Level 4

Students develop an understanding of change and continuity over time through the history of the

establishment and growth of Australia. They learn about the significance of key events, such as

European settlement, the establishment of the colonies, the development of the wool industry and

the gold rushes. They learn about key people in Australia’s history. Through structured activities

they explore links and comparisons with contemporary Australia.

Students use a range of written, visual, oral and electronic sources to study the past. With support,

they frame research questions and plan their own enquiries using historical language and concepts

such as time, sequence, chronology, continuity, change, culture and tradition. They begin to

question sources and make judgements about the viewpoints being expressed, the completeness

of the evidence, and the values represented.

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CURRICULUM LINKS

PART 1 COMMEMORATIONS IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT:

monuments and what they say about the times

Australian Curriculum

This kit is also suitable for students studying the new Australian Curriculum and specifically

covers the following areas: (ACHHK044), (ACHHK045), (ACHHS047), (ACHHS048), (ACHHS050),

(ACHHS051), (ACHHK061), (ACHHK063), (ACHHS065), (ACHHS068), (ACHHS069), (ACHHK094),

(ACHHK095), (ACHHK097), (ACHHS098), (ACHHS099), (ACHHS103), (ACHHS067), (ACHHS083),

(ACHHS068), (ACHHS084), (ACHHS069), (ACHHS085), (ACHHS101), (ACHHS120), (ACHHS103),

(ACHHS122), (ACHHS104) and (ACHHS123)

Overview

Part 1 focuses on exploring local monuments and their connection to the priorities of the times.

It will allow students to look at what aspects of monuments have changed and what have endured

over time. The activities in this section can be adapted to any local area.

Curriculum Links

VELS Levels: 2 and 3

AC Year Levels: 2 and 3

Learning Activities

1. The Local Past – Conduct a tour of the local area, such as the school neighbourhood or the

main street of town. Have students take photos or make notes of buildings, monuments and

man-made objects that they think are 'old' and those they think are 'new'. If you live in an historic

area, consider limiting the audit to a particular type of object. Categorise the pictures/notes as a

class and identify features (including those that are similar and different). Discuss and define key

words such as: old, new, then, now, monument and memorial.

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2. Reading Monuments – Select a monument in the local area. Ask students to find the plaque or

information panel to answer the following questions:

• Why was this monument built? (Who or what was it for?)

• When was it built?

• What do you think about the people who built it?

• What do you wonder about it?

• Ask the students to describe the monument and consider how it makes them feel: is it grand and

awe-inspiring, is it simple and thought provoking, does it have any symbols?

3. Ghost Cities – One of the great mysteries about the past is what could have been. The Burke

and Wills fountain is a much smaller monument compared to what was originally proposed. Have

the students look at an image of the proposed monument and compare it to the fountain today.

Ask them to hypothesise why the proposed idea was not built.

4. History Vanished – Much evidence of the past is destroyed over time. Find an old photo or

painting of your town (this can be done by a quick search on trove.nla.gov.au) and have students

compare it with the current view. What is still there, what is missing? Why might things have

changed? What do you think should have stayed?

5. Monument Audit – As a follow-on from Activity 1, particularly good for extending students, this

activity asks students to identify what monuments are represented in the community. Identify as

many monuments as possible, note who or what they are commemorating and, if possible, who

commissioned them. Ask students to make a list of the type of people and events that are being

commemorated and also who is choosing to create them. See if they can find trends or links. Ask

students to think of as many omissions as possible: what events are not represented, what group

of people are not represented and why do they think that might be the case?

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6. In Memory – (Alternative to Activity 5 if local study is not possible, or for more senior students.)

After the death of the explorers Burke and Wills, many monuments for them started appearing

right across Australia. Some were at sites significant to the exploration: others had stranger links.

Begin by reading the information about the Ballarat Fountain (see Background Information). Then,

using the information on Burke and Wills Web (http://www.burkeandwills.net.au/Memorials/index.

htm) students can work in groups to identify information about a monument, specifically noting

location and connection to their expedition or explorers, purpose (commemorating their death

or their achievements), who built/commissioned it, and a physical description. Each group could

present their monument and the class could vote on which one they think best fits the explorers/

expedition.

PART 2 LOCAL HISTORY WITHIN THE NATIONAL STORY:

Burke and Wills and their connection to Ballarat

Overview

Part 2 is targeted at senior primary students

who may be studying topics such as

exploration and the gold rushes. It offers an

opportunity for them to connect these different

historical topics and understand cause and

effect. These activities would be particularly

powerful for local Ballarat students.

Curriculum Links

VELS Level: 4

AC Year Level: 5

Illustrated London News, December 1862State Library of Victoria

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Learning Activities

1. Burke and Wills Basics – Complete an overview of the Burke and Wills story.

• When did it take place?

• Where did they travel?

• Who was in the expedition party?

• What happened to them?

• If you would like background information about the expedition, or would like to cover this in more

detail with your students there is a valuable teacher resource from the State Library of Victoria

(http://burkeandwills.slv.vic.gov.au/teacher-resources)

2. The Making of Victoria – Develop students' understanding of the historical context of the

exhibition. Complete a timeline covering Victoria's history until 1860. Assist students to cover key

events including:

• Indigenous history pre-contact, the arrival of the pastoralists, Victoria's separation from New

South Wales and the gold rushes.

• Ask students to consider whether Victoria had been a successful colony.

• What had made Victoria successful?

• What made Victoria wealthy?

• How would Victoria be feeling at the time of the expedition (proud/disappointed)?

• Did the colonies work together/when did they join together (federate)?

3. Why Explore? – Following on from Activity 2, ask students to hypothesise the reasons for

Victoria establishing the Victorian Exploration Expedition. Consider different reasons, including:

pride, competing against other colonies, abundance of wealth, unknown territory and potential

scientific discoveries, search for farming land and the desire for an overland telegraph line. Ask

students to rank their reasons in order of most persuasive to least persuasive and explain why.

Would any of those reasons be relevant today?

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4. Ballarat's Connection to Burke and Wills – National stories are often connected to local

stories and local people. In this activity encourage students to look at how Ballarat is connected

to Burke and Wills, and why Ballarat has a monument in their honour. Students can read the

background information on the fountain (see Background Information), and consider a response to

these questions:

• Why do you think the people in Ballarat wanted this fountain?

• Was it just Wills' local connection?

• What could be other possible reasons?

• Is it that Ballarat felt some responsibility for making this expedition possible?

PART 3 REPRESENTING HISTORY:

understanding the origin and purpose of historical sources

Overview

Part 3 will look at how communities collect and

preserve the past for the future. Focusing on

the concept of monuments and time capsules,

students will look at the choices people make

in representing the past and explore the

omission of different perspectives of history.

Curriculum Links

VELS Levels: 3 and 4

AC Year Levels: 3-6

The Burke and Wills Memorial Fountain on the corner of Sturt and Lydiard Streets, Ballarat.www.burkeandwills.net.au

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Learning Activities

1. Understanding Collections (excursion) – To help students understand the role of formal

collections in understanding history, take students to visit a local institution (this may be a

museum, art gallery or local historical society). On the visit ask the students to identify three

collection items that surprised or informed them, and describe what ideas or information the

items can help us to understand.

2. Primary and Secondary Sources – Using information gathered on excursion and/or online,

compile a list of historical sources about Australia from 1850-1890 (Include: photos, paintings,

buildings, newspapers, textbooks, internet sites etc.) Identify which sources are from the time,

and which are made later – label them primary sources and secondary sources. Ask students

to identify how they could use the different types of sources to find information (perhaps include

a lesson on visual literacy). Read and reflect on the research statement (see Background

Information).

3. What's Missing? – When a collection is put together (such as one in a time capsule or

exhibition), there are always parts missing, sides of the story that are not told. Using an exhibition

(or a book on an historical topic if an exhibition is unavailable) ask students to list what topics of

information are covered eg., clothing, lifestyle, transport. Then ask students to think of as many

topics as possible that are missing. These may include: health, food, sewage, Aboriginal people,

poor people etc. They can also list unanswered questions eg., how did people cook, what did the

Indigenous people think, where did the money come from?

4. My History – Propose to the students that they make their own time capsule as a class to

capture their lives and times for people in the future to understand. Making a restriction on the

number of items that can go in the time capsule will help generate discussion as to what objects/

documents/pictures best capture the current time. Once all items are decided, ask the students

to hypothesise what those who open the capsule will think about this time in history if they ONLY

see the items in the capsule. Pose questions such as: does it cover all aspects of local history, are

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there other cultures or points of view that we haven't shown, is it the community's history or your

history, is it acceptable to show only one part of history, how would you show everything?

5. Commemorations of History – Review concepts covered in Part(s) One and/or Two. Why

do we commemorate the achievements of European explorers? Why do we celebrate some

past achievements and not others? What part of history is being left out in commemorations

and monuments? Ask the students to create an opposing monument or commemoration for a

particular event eg., an Indigenous Australian commemoration for exploration by Europeans or

a non-British culture alternative to the Queen's birthday.

RESOURCE LIST

Websites

Dig – the Burke and Wills Research Gateway: http://www.burkeandwills.slv.vic.gov.au/

Mapping the Burke and Wills Journey: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/oldtreasury/burkewills.asp

Burke and Wills 150 Years: http://burkeandwills150.info/

Culture Victoria – Education Resource List: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/education/burke-and-wills-

then-and-now/

Burke and Wills Web – Online Digital Archive: http://www.burkeandwills.net.au/

National Museum of Australia – Burke and Wills Collection: http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/

burke_and_wills_collection/

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RESOURCE LIST

Ergo – Exploration: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/exploration

Online Book – The Successful Exploration through the Interior of Australia:

http://freeread.com.au/ebooks/e00060.html

Public Record Office Victoria: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/organisations-stories/9882/burke-and-

wills-environmental-expedition/

Publications

Burke and Wills Commission: Report of the commissioners appointed to enquire … etc. (1862)

Crew, Gary & Tan, Shaun. Memorial (Lothian 1999) Teacher notes on this book are available in the

Lothian website free of charge (www.lothian.com.au)

Greagg, David. It's true! Burke and Wills forgot the frying pan (Allen & Unwin, 2005)

Sheppard, Barrie. Burke and Wills: Heroes or Fools? (Echidna Books, 2004)

Macinnis, Peter. Australian backyard explorer (National Library of Australia 2009)

Murgatroyd, Sarah. The Dig Tree: The Story of Burke and Wills (Text Publishing, 2002)

Tayleur, Karen. Burke & Wills: Expedition off the map (Black Dog Books, 2010)

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