Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the Australian Antarctic Division for taking six lucky students and their teacher from Secret Harbour Primary School in my electorate to visit that most amazing of continents, Antarctica. Along with six children from Tasmania, they became the first children to fly to Antarctica and spend time on the ice, meeting some of the extraordinary Australian team of scientists and expeditioners working on that southerly landmass that Australia has such a great responsibility for, the Australian Antarctic Territory. Not many people go to Antarctica, so I'm pleased that Tanika, Imogen, Kindra, George, Lucas, Charlie and their teacher, Kate, made that once-in-a-lifetime journey.

The children won a competition to name our new Antarctic icebreaker, and they chose the name RSV Nuyina. The name means 'southern lights' in the language of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and carries on the tradition of the current Antarctic Division ship, the Aurora Australis. It says a lot about young people today in Australia, in schools like Secret Harbour, that their first instinct is to turn to the languages of our First Nations peoples for inspiration.

I'd like to mention that I also got to visit Antarctica, just the week before, sadly, missing out on seeing the kids there. I went there with a defence subcommittee, with my travelling colleague the member for Moreton. I thank the secretariat of the committee, the Australian Defence Force and the extraordinary people at the Australian Antarctic Division for helping us to visit that most extraordinary place, Antarctica.

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