The Simpson Prize Tour

The Simpson Prize is a national History competition for Year 9-10 students run by the Australian government and the History Teachers’ Association of Australia. it has been running for the past seventeen years and each year a group of eight students (one from each state and territory) and two teachers are selected to represent Australia at an ANZAC service overseas and to tour historical sites that are relevant to their study of World War One.

Each year, competing students will answer an essay question regarding a specific aspect of the war and entries are first judged at state level and then by a national panel. Teachers are invited to enter by answering a series of questions regarding their qualifications and experience as well as providing written recommendations. Teachers are interviewed at state level and then the final two are selected by the Simpson Prize Committee. 

The two teachers, the eight winning students and the selected runner-up from each state or territory attended a presentation ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra before travelling to an overseas location. In 2017, the location for the tour was the Western Front, reflecting the area of focus for the essay question answered by the students.

The tour departed on 16 April and began with visiting significant sites in London, including the Imperial War Museum and Churchill’s War Rooms. The group then travelled to Ypres in Belgium to participate in the Last Post ceremony under the Menin Gate - the spot where the names of missing Australian soldiers are listed and where the surrounding countryside is littered with the graves of Australians who served there during the war. 

From Ypres, we toured the important battlefields of the Western Front, including Fromelles, Pozieres, Hill 60 and Polygon Wood, learning about the strategic importance of these battles but also coming face to face with the human cost in the form of cemeteries and memorials. We were also able to participate in the amazing ‘Platoon Experience’ program, which enabled us to step into the shoes of an Australian soldier for the day.

The Western Front tour led us to the French city of Amiens and on to the ANZAC Day ceremony at Villiers-Bretonneux. This was an extremely moving experience and highlighted the close relationship that still exists between the people of France, Belgium and Australia,

The trip culminated with a visit to the Palace of Versailles and a few days spent exploring Paris before the trip home.

The opportunity to chaperone the Simpson Prize Tour was truly life-changing and the memory of the trip will be something that I treasure forever. I am very grateful to Ms. Connor for her unwavering support of the tour and hope that I am able to pass on the knowledge that I gained to my students in the years to come.  

Miss Emilie Reynolds