We were taken around the entire cemetery where we were shown the graves of important figures in our past and given information about each of their lives. With our College’s upcoming Armistice Centenary Ceremony in honour of those involved in World War I, it was an opportunity for us to get an insight into some of those people’s lives. The cemetery was first constructed in 1862, but the first recorded burial was in 1869 and has been added to since. The size of the cemetery is only a small 15 x 40 metres and is located right next door to our school.

Unfortunately, the graves have been graffitied on since 1980, but Campbelltown City Council continue to do all they can to fix them and prevent this from occurring. We learned that in 1977 a Science class from St Patrick’s took it upon themselves to clean up the cemetery and look after its surrounds.

The most recent burial was just under a hundred years since the first burial. Some key figures we learned about include James Bocking, Frank Nicol, Stephen Longhurst, James Roughly Longhurst and William Gee, all of whom had significance and played important roles in the history of Campbelltown. We were educated about their family history and learnt about the impact that they made on their community and how that affects us here in 2018.

Overall, the day was a great experience for the History Club members and we all definitely learned something new. Despite a little bit of rain, the day ran smoothly and we all walked back to school with a stronger knowledge of the place we call home.

By Layla E and Olivia L - Year 8 Students (History Club Members)