On the move again.....

Our time at Poatina has come to an end....today it was time to head south to explore an interesting part of Tasmania. We headed up over the 'Western Tiers', through the area of 'Great Lakes' and down to Brighton where we visited Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. There was definitely more than one disappointed person on the bus(es) when we didn't find any snow left on the mountains as we went over them. Once we had wound our way up to the top, driving along the plateau provided an opportunity to put a DVD on for the first time in the trip. The film 'For The Term of His Natural Life' is based on a true story of a (wrongly) convicted person who ended up in Port Arthur. It begins the process of 'bringing to life' the stories and tales of this period of Australia's history. First stop for the day ended up being the wildlife park, so everyone was quite 'relieved' to get off the bus(es)! 

An informative tour of the park introduced us up close to a number of special animals, before we were 'let loose' with the kangaroos.....Mrs Azar's child studies students were revelling in the opportunity to pat the joeys while in their mother's pouches!

A short drive brought us to the beautiful historic town of Richmond where we descended upon the bakery for lunch! For Danika, it was a perfect opportunity to spend time with her Grandmother who travelled from Hobart to meet with her. Old Hobart Town is a miniature replica village of Hobart in it's early days. An interactive activity enticed the kids to look really carefully at the scene in an attempt to find all the clues....a little bit of competitiveness goes a long way, especially when lollies are the reward!

Another opportunity to 'hit the shops' just about 'cleaned out' most of the kids, but they were really excited to share their 'finds' and who they were for. It was lovely to hear about all the thought and effort that had gone into deciding upon the different purchases, showing evidence of the care and love they each had for family members.....so special! A walk across the oldest bridge in Australia, built in 1825 by convicts, took us to St Johns church; in the early days Richmond was en-route between Hobart and Port Arthur. 

The students arrived at the church, where they took the opportunity to just sit and quietly reflect on their environment....this was too good an opportunity to pass up for Alexander. He seized the moment, and at an opportune time, took the lead and began a 'sermon' on the 12 stations of the cross, using the 12 pictures around the walls to re-tell the story in detail. Everyone was amazed at his ingenuity and caution to detail, even if some of the details were more-or-less how he imagined them to be rather than how they perhaps actually were! 

Tonight was the last night where we spent time reflecting on anxiety/fear. To finish off, a Q&A panel  was made up of the teachers. Everyone had an opportunity to write a question down and submit it anonymously. The questions could be about anything, so naturally there was a real variety in the topics....a great opportunity for the kids to ask something they had been contemplating but couldn't quite bring themselves to ask someone, and also a great opportunity for the teachers to offer their thoughts and wisdom based on years of 'life experience' and their own spiritual journey. Many of the kids' questions reflected a deep desire to 'know' their purpose, and to 'know' how to make a difference in other peoples lives.....what a blessing to be engaging with kids who, at this stage of their life, already see the importance of this!