Boy Travellers.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1922, Page 2

Boy Travellers.

EDUCATING YOUNG AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY, Jan. 25. Considerable interest lias been aroused in Sydney during the past week by the visit of a party of 220 boys, varying in age from about nine to fourteen years, from Western Australia. They are members of an organisation known as the Young Australia League, whose cult may be summarised in the phrase ; “Education hv Travel.” lii assist-' * ing this laudable purpose of educating young Australia,' the Government departments, vied with each other in showering hospitality upon the visitors. Many of the principal industries and factories were closely, investigated, historical spots, such as Kurnell, , where Cook landed, and Vaucluse House, where Wentworth lived and skeletonised the first constitution in’ Australia, were visited and explained by competent authorities, and journeys were made to the Blue Mountains, Canberra, > and other centres of interest. The boys are under semi-military discipline, those in charge of them wearing a neat blue uniform. The • members of the party paid the expenses of the trip, which included visits to Adelaide and Melbourne, by instalments out of their pocket money. This particular trip, of course, is on a more ambitious scale than usual, and the cost to each boy was in the vicinity'of £2o—largely railway fares. Both the officers and the boys were overwhelmed by the hospitality with which they were received, and expressed surprise that a branch of the League had not been established in Sydney. There is good prospect of this omission being attended to, and a return visit being aid to Perth. Writing of boys reminds one that U.e \ idea of bringing out hoys from Hie Barnardo homes in England, which was 'recently put into effect in Sydney, is proving eminently successful, and during the past week a cable was sent to London requesting the immediate despatch of a second party of fifty. The first party, which arrived a few months ago, and was housed in a commodious residence in one of the suburbs, which ,< was acquired for this purpose, has quickly dwindled. The older boys from 14 upwards, have all been apprenticed to farmers and station owners as workers, and the younger ones have been sent to selected homes in the country, where farmers have undertaken to send them to school until they are 14 years of age. All the boys were / imbued with a strong desire to get out into the country. The cities did not fulfil their preconceived notions qt Australia, and having determined . to - “make good” on the land, all were impatient for the day when they would leave the rattle of trams and the too :. familiar strife of the city far behind.