By Grenfell Public School On Friday, 6 December, Stage 1 students from Grenfell Public School embarked on an exciting excursion to Canberra. The day was filled with fun and adventure as they watched a live performance of The Gruffalo and enjoyed a magical ride on the historic carousel. The Canberra carousel has a history dating back to 1915 in Melbourne. It was purchased by the City of Canberra in 1973 and refurbished and opened to the public in 1974. It features 52 hand-carved wooden horses and two intricately detailed elephant carriages imported from Germany. Its brass poles were made in Scotland. The Gruffalo stage show brought Julia Donaldson’s beloved story to life with vibrant characters and engaging storytelling. Students were captivated as Mouse outwitted the Gruffalo and other forest creatures in a delightful performance filled with humour and creativity. Year 2 students, George Armstrong and Arthur Bateman were eager to share their memories and have provided their own recounts of this unforgettable day. The Historic Carousel By George Armstrong We went to Canberra and the bus drive was very slow. I sat next to Arthur. When we got there, we walked through the centre of Canberra and got to the carousel. The carousel is probably over 100 years old. The Year 2s got to have the first turn. Mack, Henry, Arthur and I when on the elephants. The elephants didn’t go up and down so I probably would’ve preferred to go on the horses. The Year 1s had a go when we got off. The Gruffalo Show By Arthur Bateman Once we left the carousel, we walked to the theatre. We had to wait a while for the show to start. It was really dark inside the theatre. There were lots of other schools there to see the show too. The music was cool and had a good beat. We watched ‘The Gruffalo’ and it was real people who were acting and wearing costumes. There were some things that were different to the book like some extra characters. The Gruffalo costume was very big and a bit weird. The fox, snake and owl were played by the same person. I give the show 4/5 stars.
