Investigation 3
How was Federation celebrated throughout New South wales?
Sydney hosted the main ceremonies and celebrations in New South Wales—and perhaps in the nation. However, many smaller communities also held celebrations to welcome the beginning of the Commonwealth of Australia. Whether these celebrations were large or small, they showed that Federation was for the country as a whole, and that its significance was recognised far and wide.
Your Task
Discover how people living throughout New South Wales celebrated Federation.
Activities
- As a class, read the accounts of how the people in Sydney and country New South Wales celebrated Federation. Underline any of the words that you do not know. Use a dictionary to find out what they mean.
- Working in small groups use an atlas to locate the towns. Record the names of the towns on the map of New South Wales. Make a list of the ways that people celebrated Federation. Use different shades of one colour to show the level of celebrations at the various locations: lighter shades to show smaller celebrations, and darker shades to show bigger celebrations. Consider what constitutes a bigger celebration, and what constitutes a smaller celebration. Your group may be called upon to justify its decisions.
- Why might some celebrations have been more enjoyable and better attended than others? Which celebration would you have liked to attend? Compare and discuss with other groups.