From the Head of Junior School

In Term 3, as part of a Humanities and Social Sciences unit of work, Year 2 students inquired into Significant Places in their community. The boys visited and explored landmarks such as Adelaide Oval, The Botanic Gardens, St Peter’s Cathedral and Memorial Hall. During the unit, students were required to describe sites of significance and why they are important to people; they were expected to ask questions about the past and present, answering them by locating information through their own observations and accessing provided sources. The boys also used their iPads to create digital representations of Memorial Hall (see images below).

I am pleased to report this unit of work did not remain confined to a workbook. The knowledge and understanding could not be measured by a test or quiz. One Saturday morning, whilst I was watching sport on Girdlestone Oval, a Year 2 student, who was gazing at Memorial Hall, rather than his older brother playing football, asked me ‘How did Dr Shinkfield tell the boys Memorial Hall was on fire.”

He described a photo he had seen of the Headmaster Dr A J Shinkfield speaking to the whole School on the lawns in front of the Hall on the morning of the fire (see below) and how he wondered what it had been like to see the Memorial in flames. I saw this as a perfect reason to invite Dr Shinkfield to speak with the boys about his recollections of the morning.

We are so grateful to Dr Shinkfield who joined a small group of Year 2 students, to share with them how he remembers being woken by a screaming milk man outside of Oval House on the morning of the fire. He described how he heard the sound of fire engines roaring up North Terrace, and how the curtains went up in flames when the side door was opened. The boys were absorbed with the mental image he created for them with his words.

In this 175th year of St Peter’s College, Dr Shinkfield’s visit was an exceptional opportunity to reflect on the past and the significance of Memorial Hall. Furthermore, as we mark Remembrance Day, it is a poignant reminder of the 170 old scholars and staff who gave their lives in World War I.

Mrs Jasmine Taylor
Head of Junior School

Diary Dates