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I hired a car as
it was the easiest thing to do after exploring buses and trains,
and roughly about the same price. On my way to the station I walked
the back street to get to where all the taxis park, and found
a working foundry. I was delighted to be able to witness the molten
steel being tipped from the furnace into the ladle (a huge bucket
thingy) and then poured into pre heated moulds to eventually form
steel bars, which are then sent off to numerous businesses to be
made into stuff. What a fitting closure for my time in the steel
city. Lucky ay. I then drove down from Sheffield, with a tear in my
eye, arriving in Solva at 12.30, thank god for the old GPS!!. Wales
is so very beautiful, and I get to spend some time sailing with my
old friend before heading to Ireland on Monday. There hasn't been a
dull moment and this morning as I write I am grateful for the
stillness and focus writing requires. Id like now to proceed by
saying something insightful and intelligent about Sheffield and the
North, but I don't think my brain will let me. Anyway, here
goes..
The
multidisciplinary approach to this study tour has been really
interesting and I really appreciate learning about planning and
development. Not much was focused on from a community development
point of view but its all community development anyway, just
different perspectives. As our time grew to an end in Sheffield,
community centres, projects and organisations started leaping into
my field of vision, allowing me to see that there was plenty of
places to go and explore in my free time (ha ha) had I taken the
initiative.
The
community child care centre we visited with Trevor Hogan was run
and funded quite similarly to those at home, except that it is
dealing with a city clientele, a multicultural clientele and
primarily it offers numerous services that childcare centres in
Central Vic don't. Everything from breast feeding guidance to
fathers clubs to family violence intervention. That place was one
of quite a few scattered across Sheffield, but recent funding cuts
have forced closures and now the remaining are under pressure from
greater demand for their services. Sounds familiar.
Our
little unit was knocked sideways during the build-up to
presentations, which were brilliant, well done everyone, by the
passing of Cathy's dear father Peter. We all banded together and
stayed the distance, getting our tasks done. I just want to say,
all you people who offered condolences, hugs, cups of tea and tears
of your own are to be blessed and sincerely thanked, you were just
brilliant and I know Cathy was taken aback by how lovely everyone
was.
The
next couple of days will be learning about tides and sailing
culture, nice.
- Anna Hardinge (Bachelor of Community
Development)
.
-
So I am currently
sitting on a train to Glasgow, however we have been delayed! It is
seriously because someone in Darlington, at the station is running
around naked… The north is interesting!
J
Anyway, I look back at the tour, already, with a kind of nostalgia.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and enjoying spending time with the
people I had made friends with. However, I am disappointed that the
archaeology of Sheffield was not touched upon much. Sheffield is a
goldmine for industrial archaeology, and that type of study blows
my mind. It is amazing. I am disappointed we didn’t get to look
into that further. However, as a history student as well, I was
impressed. I do believe a few things could have been better
organised, I know things can go wrong, but overall, I think it did
need some more organisation. I was surprised how exhausting the
entire two weeks was, some days I knew would be very full on, it is
what I had expected for a 30-credit subject, but I didn’t take into
account how exhausted I would be. Nevertheless, the study tour was
fantastic.
-
Kimberley Crabtree (Bachelor of Arts - History and
Archaeology)
-
I
was nervous about going especially after I seen the subject guide.
But it has been very interesting and I am glad I got the
opportunity to go. We learn when we are travelling around and going
to different places, and not only study wise but in general.
Travelling, especially alone for study not as a holiday also
changes you as a person and makes you stronger and more mature. I
think the study tours are interesting and helps you learn a lot
more as you are out seeing things and learning by visiting places
and not just stuck in front of a computer or in a class room. I
also found that the lecturers understood how we feel and were very
supportive which was nice. This was my second study tour and I
learn a lot from both, and will look forward to going on the next
one. It is definitely an experience worthwhile.
However I think that
there could have been away to learn more about our discipline. Even
though I found our topic on the group project interesting, I was
the only planner so I don’t feel like I have learnt anything
concerned with planning. I think it would have been better if
people were put into groups depending on what their major is. Also
I would have liked the projects to be similar to what we did on the
US study tour, as I feel like we have benefited and learnt a lot as
it is something we would do in the workforce in the future. However
overall I really enjoyed my time on the study tour, and I am glad
that I didn’t drop out as that would mean I would never get the
opportunity to go to the places that we went to and wouldn’t have
got the chance to experience what I have experienced in
Sheffield.
-
Mariam Al Maskari (Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental
Planning)
-
It has been a week
since our class finished and a lot of us are travelling around
Europe. I have a lot planned for before I fly back to Australia,
but I definitely have to squeeze time in to work on my
essay!
Looking back on my
first blog post, I think that the biggest challenge that I faced
over the two weeks was the group project, rather than the blogs. I
always find group projects a bit difficult, and working with people
I didn’t know well was intimidating. I think that we all had
different strengths, and they could be seen in our presentation,
although I wish that we had a bit more time to work on
it!
I met some great
people, and we went to some interesting and beautiful places. My
favourites were probably York and Chatsworth house, although I
absolutely loved the whole region and I went to Liverpool on the
weekend, which was incredible.
Sheffield Hallam
University was a great university and Sheffield itself was a really
interesting place and I could definitely imagine coming back again.
I am so glad that I
decided to do this class. Learning about the history of a city like
Sheffield made me think about how a city develops and works, which
are things that I’ve never thought about before. I’m really looking
forward to researching Edward Carpenter, a
19th/20th century poet, philosopher and gay
rights activist, who is the topic of my essay. He is one of the
many people/topics that I would have never learned about if not for
taking this class.
-
Bethany Exiner (Bachelor of Archaeology)
-
Well it
seems like a whirlwind farewell to the north and hello to the south
as I travel on the train to London! I am sad to be leaving the
north and didn’t expect to discover so many interesting things
about this part of the world. This trip has taught me a lot about
some revolutionary characters such as Edward Carpenter, John
Ruskin, the Suffragettes and the Bronte sisters, all of whom I will
continue to learn more about. It is fascinating to see where
reformers and creators such as these have came form. What inspired
them and how their legacy has extended across time and space. After
visiting Manchester a couple of times, I think I will miss that
place the most. In Manchester I found a city I could possibly live
in in Northern England; a city not unlike Melbourne, however having
a much richer history architecturally.
I wish everyone well on their onwards travels and was happy to meet
everyone and hope to stay in contact with many. I will have some
new friends at university to discuss interests that are not simply
confined to my area of study. The interactions with students from
other disciplines on this trip has positively contributed to my
understanding of the north; a place that will continue to spark my
curiosity for a long time to come.
- Rose Potter (Bachelor of International
Development)
-
Now in
Italy, after having travelled through more of the United Kingdom,
France, Germany and Austria, my appreciation for home and Sheffield
has grown. I now realize that I belong in a mid-size city, not a
metropolis like London or Paris. It is a challenge to pull myself
away from exploring the Dolomites outside my window to write this
blog post but I’ll give it a go. It is fitting given the nature of
the study I have undertaken that my last glimpses of Sheffield were
of Park Hill looming over the train station. The focus of my group
presentation was on public housing in the U.K. In London there are
many examples of public housing models similar to Park Hill. It is
a strange thing to notice on a holiday but I can’t help myself now.
My friend (Aussie ex-pat) who I stayed with in London has never
visited Sheffield and has contempt for the Northerners.
It is a shame about the technical issues with the presentations.
Fortunately for my group, everything fell into place nicely and I
am quite satisfied with the finished product, which featured
historic videos of Sheffield found on an online archive database
and a local soundtrack including The Arctic Monkeys. I enjoyed the
interdisciplinary aspect of the subject and learning about a
variety of historical figures including the architect Le Corbusier,
the entrepreneur Henry Lever, the artist John Everett Millais and
the all-rounder John Ruskin. The morning lectures enhanced my
experience and understanding of the places we visited. It was
obvious that visiting the United Kingdom was more than just a study
tour or a holiday for many students, but rather a pilgrimage to
their ancestral home. I commend the lecturers for their
organisation of the trip and I will cherish my memories of
Sheffield and the lifelong bonds with students formed
there.
- Angela
Plazzer (Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental
Planning)
-
It's all
over, it went so quickly yet it feels like I've been away for
months but I think that is a sign of a good trip! After our
frustrating but interesting day of presentations yesterday -
frustrating due to the technological issues we faced, interesting
due to the wide variety and high quality of projects that were
presented - it was a little sad to say goodbye to everyone... And
the goodbyes were quite rushed... Or didn't happen at all as some
people had to leave before presentations were over as we had run
over time! But one by one people began to leave, with the majority
taking off today to all parts of the UK or Europe... Me though, I'm
heading home back to Australia and I am actually really looking
forward to being in my comfort zone again! However Liberty Works
did end up feeling like home – hmmm -the me that arrived 2 weeks
ago certainly would not have imagined I would be saying that! But
Sheffield did end up feeling like home: I was able to navigate the
city; saw the same local faces each morning on my walk to uni; I
knew which pubs were the best to eat at; and the general greeting
of 'hiyalurrve' from the locals began to sound normal. I spent one
night in York on the last weekend, and I was so looking forward to
sleeping in a comfortable bed with cotton sheets, but I hardly
slept at all due to the 'strangeness' of it... I had a great sleep
upon returning to Liberty Works, polyester sheets and all, go
figure.
We all had
difficulties becoming comfortable in our interdisciplinary groups,
it was certainly a challenge, but I dare say that was the idea of
the powers that be - to throw us in the deep-end and make us either
sink or swim! And to our credit I believe we have managed to swim,
perhaps badly, but we have made it to the end! A few stumbling
blocks were encountered, some of which are to be expected, some of
which may need to be considered and on future study tours could be
dealt with differently. For example, mixing disciplines is positive
as it allows each student to view things from a different point of
view - rather than say a historical or sociological view, we learn
to consider things from a planning view - thinking about how the
space is used, how it can be developed and looking towards the
future -which is sometimes something forgotten about when studying
history! However, it became apparent that planning students and
arts students tackle assignments and presentations differently -
with arts students very much about the written assignment and a
critical, analytical, academic take on it, but planning students
appearing to be far more tactile, visual and interactive. This is
great in hindsight as it brings many varied skills to the table.
However with individuals not realising this until quite a way into
the group assignment, it took some time to 'get on the same page'
so to speak. Perhaps in future a discussion could be had about the
way in which each discipline tackles their work, so that each
individual understands how the other thinks and
works.
As you can
see from above, I can certainly see the value to the
inter-disciplinary idea, but I would have much preferred to be in a
group with like-minded people, and then have been able to discover,
research and report on something I am passionate about myself,
rather than something that we have all reluctantly agreed upon as
it sort of fitted in to each person’s area of interest. I feel I
would have got far more out of this study tour had I been able to
focus on a real area of interest. Of course we have our individual
research projects to consider, and I am very keen to get stuck into
that - but during this trip, with the very full schedule and the
looming date to present our group work - I have honestly not had
enough time to think about my individual project and this is
disappointing. However I do feel fortunate to have visited
places like the gorgeous town of Haworth where the Bronte sisters
wrote their amazing novels, and of course being in Sheffield
allowed me to understand how and why Bjetman saw the city as he
did. I am sure as I begin thinking about my final piece of work I
may realise I soaked in more detail and have more insights than I
do at this point in time.
I would
highly recommend other students participating in an overseas study
tour. Even as a 'mature age' student I feel I have certainly learnt
much about myself, about people in general, and the way in which I
view the world. Even though I have travelled before, I have not
been further than Southern Thailand and China, therefore going that
extra distance has really opened up the world to me. I now feel the
world is more accessible, friendlier, and the people who inhabit
this world don't seem poles apart as I thought they were. Of
course, England and English people are intrinsically linked to
Australia and its people, so obviously that gives one a feeling of
comfort. When the English realise you are Australian, they seem to
feel a connection to you. However, I noticed this more so in
Sheffield and around Yorkshire rather than in London – so perhaps
that comes from the ‘friendliness’ of the Northerners! One local
told me he thought his forebears got it all wrong when they sent
the convicts to Australia... Why send the bad people to such a
beautiful place?! All the 'good' English should have made their way
downunder!
-
Jessica Willman (Bachelor of Arts)
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