Month: October 2022

The historical significance in 2022 of boarding a ship that transported convicts to Australia was not lost on 19 Year 10 Australian students and 4 teachers from The Geelong College. To the group’s further amazement, the ship that first set sail over 169 years ago can be found not in Australia or the United Kingdom, but in the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum in Picton, Marlborough. 

In touring the museum, the students learned about the diseases transmitted on a long journey that included scarlet fever and tuberculosis. They read about the crimes of the convicts and, in some cases, the particularly harsh sentences.   

Once onboard the ship (in a dry dock for preservation), the students could handle the shackles of convicts and look inside a replica cell. The Cabin Class elite furnished their own small cabins. Smaller, cramped conditions indicated  a more uncomfortable journey for many convicts and settlers. Below decks, in the hull of the ship, students stood where the cargo was once stored well below the waterline. All up, the students could see that this ship’s survival is a remarkable story.  

Edventure Travel would be pleased to arrange your school’s or private group’s trip to the Edwin Fox for a personalised tour with one of the educators at the Museum. We can incorporate the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum into any tour to New Zealand. Please contact us for further details.  

The Edwin Fox merchant ship was built in 1853 by the British in Kolkata India for the Anglo-Indian trade. The 50-meter-long wooden sailing ship is said to be one of the last East Indiamen designs, harking back to the heyday of British India. 

 For over 110 years, before the age of steamships became viable, the ship with three masts and solid hull sailed the globe transporting substantial ‘cargo’ including convicts, Empire and colonial troops, immigrants, and all kinds of goods, including spices, salt, beer, lamb and coal. The ship called into the ports of Cuba, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, France, Sri Lanka, America, Hong Kong, China, Mauritius and Thailand, trading its wares. It transported immigrants to Australia in its mid-years of operation and spent the final years acting as a refrigeration ship for the lamb industry  and later a coal hulk, storing and transporting goods to larger ships departing New Zealand.  

 The Edwin Fox, having been overtaken by technology and age, was abandoned at its wharf.  During the early 1960’s the ship was purchased for one shilling (ten cents!) and moved to a remote beach in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand until restoration could begin.  It unfortunately sat there for 20 years and was exposed to the elements and daily tides eating away at its hull. Due to its historical significance, another push to save the ship started in the early 1980’s, its resurrection and preservation began. After an almighty refloating effort, led by volunteers, it was moved to Picton harbour in 1999, where carpenters, divers, renovators, and historical societies brought the ship back to life. Maritime historians pieced together all journeys from documents scattered around the globe. 

The Edwin Fox holds many ‘firsts’, ’lasts’ and ‘only’ records and is of considerable historical significance to Australia and New Zealand. The Edwin Fox boasts of being: 

• The only surviving ship that transported convicts to Australia (1858) 
• The last wooden Crimea War troop carrier (1855) 
• The oldest surviving merchant ship in the world 
• The last of this ship design left in the world 
• Capable of completing her first voyage to Australia (Melbourne) in 1856 
• The first immigration transport on the Edwin Fox to New Zealand (Lyttleton) was in 1873 
• A work-horse in Picton in 1897, working as a meat and coal barge for its remaining days until abandoned in the 1960’s 
• Purchased for one shilling in 1965 by a historical society 
• Towed to Picton, New Zealand, before preservation work began in 1985 
• Recipient of the ‘World Ship Trust Award’ in 2013 for preservation 
• Filmed for the BBC series ‘Coast’ in 2015 
• The recipient of the first Australian secondary school group in September 2022, arranged by Edventure Travel.

Today, exploring the ship’s decks and hull reveals its early links to the British Empire, the colonies of Australia and New Zealand, and the work-horse it became in the later years as a cargo barge. The wooden decks reveal the convict’s accommodation and the rules and regulations the convicts had to obey. On the upper deck, visitors can see Cabin Class (first class) for the wealthy travellers, and be astounded by the tiny sleeping quarters for immigrants (for example, up to 6 people would share one bunk berth). Diary entries re-tell personal stories of passengers and the hardships they endured sailing on the Edwin Fox where the journeys were dark, damp, and disease-ridden.  

Descending into the largely intact hull reveals the 170-year-old craftsmanship that went into shipbuilding, with elbow joints, rivets, clamps, coak dowl and intricate frame joints all visible. Walking to the stern of the ship’s hull, a visitor can smell the damp, the spices, and the coal dust. The visitor can imagine the croaks and groans of a wooden ship on its voyages at sea. For the convicts who spent time below deck, this hull was their prison.  

The Edwin Fox transported convicts from England to Fremantle in Australia in 1858. Before the 86-day journey, the ship was fitted with cells to accommodate the all-male prisoner ‘cargo’. The British Government chartered the ship to transport 280 ‘superior type’ convicts and 82 passengers to Fremantle. The convicts were deemed a low-security risk. After nearly 3 months at sea, the ship docked in Fremantle in November 1858. The convicts were bound for the free settler colony at Swan River, now Perth, Western Australia.  

A vivid picture of the convict’s journey is documented well in the ship’s log and historical records. Important points include: 

• No prisoners or crew died on the journey to Australia, 3 babies were born to the guards family’s 
• Only one convict was flogged on the journey 
• The oldest prisoner was 59 years old, William Beresford (born in 1799) 
• One clause in the crew’s agreement required that they “inflict corporal punishment on the convicts when required to do by the Master or Surgeon” 

Henry Jobson was the only convict flogged on the journey to Fremantle. He was a former soldier who had received a 14-year sentence for mutiny. An officer writing in his diary recorded that Jobson was flogged for ‘disobedience’.   

Another convict, Peter Duff, was put in leg irons on the first day of the journey to Australia. He complained to the surgeon about the quality of the soup and the insufficiency of the rations “in an insolent and improper manner”. 

One of the most unlikely convicts was Reverend W.D. Beresford (born in 1799) who presented a forged 100-pound bill. Found guilty, he was sentenced to be transported to Australia for the term of his natural life.  

William Messenger was sentenced for “sacrilege”. His crime was to be caught urinating over a gravestone. His sentence length was 14 years. He was 19 years old when he drowned in a river outside the Swan River Colony. 

 Hans Jensen was a 40-year-old convict sentenced to transportation and 10 years prison for stealing 3 empty sacks. 

Costley, Nigel, et al, Teak and Tide: The Ebbs and Eddies of the Edwin Fox, Nikau Press 2014 

Edwin Fox Society, The Edwin Fox: Hard-Won Heritage, Picton, 2004 

The Edwin Fox Maritime Museum 

Convicts to Australia: A Guide to Researching your Convict Ancestors: http://www.perthdps.com/convicts/con-wa25.html  

Crimean War Veterans in Western Australia: https://crimeanwar-veteranswa.com/ships/edwin-fox/ 

Solignac, Morgana, ‘Blenheim boy immerses Aussie students in Marlborough’s history’, Marlborough Express, 18 September, 2022: 

In 2018, Edventure Travel’s Director Billy Penfold travelled to North Korea. Join him on a firsthand look inside North Korea’s education system, where you’ll uncover Soviet-style uniforms and strict student-teacher relationships. 

Want more North Korea insights for your students? Be sure to check out part 1 of our North Korea series, which provides a snapshot of life in Pyongyang. 

During his tour of North Korea in 2018, Billy visited two local schools. The first was an elite school in Pyongyang for students of privileged families. The second was a middle school in a small town, one hour’s drive from the capital. 

While both school visits were carefully orchestrated, Billy says he gained an understanding of certain aspects of the education system. The limited resources of the second school, for example, were stark.  

‘Naturally, the teachers showcased their best classrooms, which were equipped with rear-projection monitors, basic tape recorders, a blackboard, colour TV and old computers running the Windows XP operating system. Other classrooms we passed had only tables and chairs,’ Billy says. 

Communist ideals are on display in every classroom. Photos revering North Korea’s communist leaders are pinned above blackboards, and students’ uniform red neckerchiefs show the legacy of Soviet influence. 

‘The red neckerchief was adopted initially by the Soviet Union in the early 1920s. While its design is borrowed from Boy Scouts’ neckties, its triangular shape reflects the three Soviet organisations of communism – Young Pioneers, Communist Youth League, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By wearing the scarf, students signify their strong bond to communism.’ 

Watching an English language class at the middle school, Billy saw just how rigid North Korea’s teacher-student relationships are. 

‘If a student wants to participate, they rapidly raise their hand, wait to be acknowledged by the teacher, stand to attention with a straight back, then practise their English in a loud, clear voice. When finished, students sit down abruptly.’ 

The pressure on students to demonstrate perfection echoed what Billy had seen at the Victory Day celebrations. From classroom to gymnasium, the atmosphere between students and teachers felt formal and tense. 

‘The students danced, performed music and played table tennis without any sense of genuine pleasure, creativity or emotion. Their actions seemed robotic. They appeared under so much pressure to perform to a high standard that they couldn’t enjoy what they were doing.’ 

Artwork in the school’s hallways balanced education with indoctrination. Posters of cute animals and healthy foods, typical of any junior school around the world, sat beside propaganda about North Korea’s nuclear weapons and military strength. In one hallway, a mural depicted graphic war scenes of US and South Korean soldiers committing atrocities against North Koreans. In another, US soldiers were shown being captured by North Korean soldiers. 

‘I asked our chaperone teachers, “Why do they show such graphic murals along the walls for young students to see?” The answer was, “So our students never forget the history.”’ says Billy. 

‘The question did not faze the teachers; it was a simple, matter-of-fact answer. One can only imagine the version of history students are taught, without access to alternative versions or perspectives.’ 

If you’re keen for your students to learn more about North Korea, be sure to check out our exciting incursions! Packed with case studies, photos and more, incursions are a great way to bring our expert knowledge of the world straight to your classroom. 

Community projects – or service-learning programs, as they’re known among educators – can be one of the most rewarding parts of your educational tour. But how do they come about?  

While there are millions of people we could work with across Asia, connecting with the communities most in need takes research. Here’s how we consult with locals to develop new community projects, based on our recent research trip to Vietnam and Cambodia in June 2022. 

Travel three hours north of Hanoi, Vietnam, and you’ll find several remote villages. Tucked between mountains and rice paddies, life here seems idyllic. 

But to truly understand the complex issues these communities face, and how to go about resolving them, you’ll need a local partner. 

Our partners in northern Vietnam include members of the local People’s Committee, as well as village chiefs. In Vietnam, the People’s Committee is like a council. It leads development within a province, district or township, and has administrative authority over that area. 

Before we head out into the villages, we meet our local partners to discuss what’s needed and what to expect. For example, they identify ahead of time which families, schools and services in each village are most in need of assistance. 

“During our latest research trip, we went into the homes of several families. They were pre-chosen based on criteria like household income, the number of children in their care, the condition of their house, health issues and community support – or rather, the lack of it,” Billy says. 

Watch our video to see some of the families we met in Vietnam’s northern villages:  

Acting as interpreters, the village chief and People’s Committee members help us talk with families to understand their needs and goals. 

In some villages, physical repairs and improvements are the top priority. 

“Some families’ wooden and bamboo houses are leaking and almost falling over. They’d be freezing in winter. Others are without running water or have existing water storage facilities beyond repair. Rooves have missing tiles, and livestock wanders through the villages without suitable pens,” Billy says. 

In other villages, education and social services are key. Some families can’t afford to send their children to school. And those children who are lucky to reach school have no uniforms or bikes. 

“One school we visited lacked whiteboards and textbooks, there was no library, and the toilets were broken. Windows and door frames needed repairing and painting. In another school, there were just two toilets to service all the students,” Billy says. 

“When we asked the school principal what he needed, he replied: ‘Everything.’” 

But it’s not just the young who need support. 

“Without social services, locals are left to age alone. For some, their partners went off to the city years ago and never returned. Now, they fend for themselves.” 

Alongside residential construction and school renovation projects, we also look for other types of programs you can support. 

For example, in Cambodia we met with a representative from a local Siem Reap NGO, who took us to visit villages who needed help with rubbish management. 

“These villages are desperate for education on rubbish collection, storage and disposal. The NGO worker pitched us a practical program to improve the problem using minimal resources. The funding required will buy equipment, establish storage facilities and deliver educational programs,” says Billy. 

This is an example of a community engagement program – a type of program that strives to solve entrenched issues through strong local relationships, such as a partnership with an NGO. 

Environmental projects are another option for travellers. And after walking a kilometre through Mekong Delta mud flats, we found the perfect one. 

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, erosion from nearby flooded farmland has washed fertile soil out to sea. But by planting mangroves, you can stabilise the shoreline and provide an environment in which fish and birdlife can thrive. 

“We met with an organisation undertaking a five-year project to plant mangrove trees. On the shoreline, local teams work in shifts planting trees until the tide comes in – then return the next day to continue planting at low tide. On-site, we discussed logistics, sustainability issues and future planting programs,” says Billy.  

At the end of our research trip, we met with our team to review the list of potential community projects we’d found. We talked through logistics, safety issues and which time of year would be best to undertake each project. 

To bring the most to our itineraries, each community project also needs to be within reach of other inspiring educational experiences. So, we reflected on another list we’d made along the way – a record of potential homestays we’d checked out, new trekking routes we’d mapped and even local hydropower dams we’d toured. 

Of course, no community project research trip would be complete without checking on some of our previous programs. Near Siem Reap, we headed into the countryside to survey some recent construction projects. Two families had now moved into their houses, thanks to fundraising by an Australian school whose students have been touring Cambodia for over a decade. 

“Ecstatic to see us, the first family explained how much their life had improved due to their new living conditions. As they showed off their home, the head of the family offered us each a coconut, which was stock from their new coconut delivery business,” Billy says.  

“The second family explained that, thanks to the security of their new home, they now have much better paying jobs in town. Their new home can be locked up when they go out, so working away from home is no longer a problem.” 

These families provide just one example of the life-changing impact you can have when you commit to a community project on your educational tour. Whether you choose a construction, environmental or community engagement project, you can be sure your effort will meet a genuine local need and make a lasting difference. 

Ready to plan your next trip? Get in touch to discuss your school’s future travel program to Asia or New Zealand. Or for more inspiration, check our gallery of photos from the field, below.