Journey Through Time: A Year 6 Maritime Adventure

August 31, 2023

The Year 6 students recently embarked on a journey into the past, visiting the WA Maritime Museum to delve deeper into their unit of study, Migration in Humanities & Social Sciences. Students learned the story of Giacomo Ianello (Jim), a migrant from Italy who was sent to Australia as an eleven-year-old boy to be a fisherman and to support his family back home. They learned about Jim’s journey, including his struggles and his Italian culture, which is still celebrated today, through the annual Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle.

A fun exploration activity saw the students involved in a facilitated object discovery of different migrants to Western Australia. Using their inferencing skills, students discovered the challenges of the migrant’s journeys, making connections to the push/pull factors for the migrants coming to Australia and the contributions they have made to our wonderful country.

Students were able to interact with the wonders of the museum in a treasure hunt, searching for items of historical interest and exploring the Welcome Walls situated along the water’s edge in Fremantle’s port, looking for past family members. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and everyone had a fun day!

Some of our students reflected on the experience below.

“I enjoyed acting out and learning about the story of the migrant Jim Ianello, doing the treasure hunt, and also finding the names of the Sisters of Mercy on the welcome walls.” Merle van Essen, 6.8

“My favourite part of the excursion was being able to explore the museum. I found it interesting learning about people who had to leave their homes as young children on their own to migrate here to escape poverty.” Mahua Madan, 6.9

“I like the historical stories about the people. It was amazing to stand where actual migrants arrived for the first time in Western Australia.” Aaliyah Makombe, 6.10

“This excursion made me realise that people go through a lot more struggles than we are used to, and it made me appreciate how fortunate I am to have a good life in Australia and have a family to support me. I really enjoyed finding people I knew on the Welcome Walls.” Lara Bitner, 6.9

Curiosity, Featured, learningforlife

Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.