© 2020 AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION FOUNDATION ABOUT THE SERIES CONTENTS Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors? takes today’s kids on a wild ride back through time. Drawing from our rich 2. Indigenous and multicultural heritage, ABOUT THE SERIES the series celebrates the diversity of Australia’s shared history. We turn 4. stereotypes on their heads and allow our USING THIS RESOURCE kids to experience the past in ways they never imagined. As a living history series, 5. Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors? EPISODE SYNOPSES is brainy, but fun. Full of gross, ‘OMG!’ moments, each episode takes our modern 8. children into a foreign world. To survive LEARNING TASKS the experience they must take risks, push themselves, trust their abilities and make Foundation: ‘Dancing on Wheels!’ decisions on their own, without Mum or Year 1: ‘Kernewek Lowender!’ Dad (or Google!) anywhere in sight. Year 2: ‘Lennie the Legend’ Year 3: ‘Dai Gum San! Bendigo Easter Festival’ Each episode is built around a fresh Year 4: ‘The Big Match!’ and exciting story that you’re unlikely Year 5: ‘Pioneer Living German Style!’ to find out in the history books. Strong Year 6: ‘Olympia!’ historical stories from diverse families and communities provide the narrative 36. backbone of each episode in the series. We employ true stories of amazing AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM ancestors – stereotype busting, heroic LINKS and unusual tales of courage, endurance and ingenuity displayed by kids from the 39. past that we ask our modern children to BEHIND THE SCENES emulate. The experiences our modern children go through in each episode are 41. shaped around this key story, as we look Additional Resources at each historical period through the lens of a specific child’s experience. But while 42. we visit familiar years and events, each episode looks at them from a brand-new Acknowledgements historical viewpoint: through the eyes of the children who were there. ARE YOU TOUGHER THAN YOUR ANCESTORS Page 2 Our guide ‘G’ (Ghenoa Gela) introduces Driven by our kids’ firsthand experiences, each episode and provides insight and we seek to surprise, engage, and sometimes encouragement as our contemporary kids horrify modern viewers as they watch what are enveloped into a specific time and their lives would have been like had they event from a bygone era. Colourful and been born in another era. The difficulty of quirky animated sequences tell the story the tasks escalates through the course of of our historical child and set the context the episode, with the achievement of their for each episode. Assisted along the way ultimate goal complicated by a final curve by expert ‘History Helpers’, our modern ball mission that tests our child participants kids wrestle with disgusting chores, to their limits. master mind-bending challenges and At the end of each episode, we find out perform incredible feats of ingenuity as whether today’s kids are tougher than our they get down and dirty walking in the ancestors… and what they discover might shoes of their ancestors. just surprise us all! outlined in the History sub-strand of the USING THIS RESOURCE F-6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors? curriculum. While not the focus of this explores familiar historic periods and resource, teachers could also draw links to events through the eyes of the children English, Civics and Citizenship, Geography who lived then. Each episode reveals and the general capabilities when viewing an incredible true story of a resilient the series. and courageous child from the past, and challenges modern-day children Hands-on tasks suggested in the ‘Do try to emulate their experiences. Through this at home’ sections will encourage these participants’ firsthand experiences, discussions about the past between students see what their lives would have children, their parents and other family been like in a different era. members. These tasks will further connections between school and home The Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors? and encourage families to engage with Teaching Toolkit is a History resource the history of their local area. for Foundation to Year 6 teachers and students. Episodes and suggested learning tasks relate to the key understandings and inquiry skills ARE YOU TOUGHER THAN YOUR ANCESTORS Page 4 EPISODE SYNOPSES EPISODE ONE ‘Kernewek Lowender!’ 01Moonta, South Australia In 1898, 13-year old Robert Richards worked full-time at the Moonta copper mines as a ‘pickey boy’, went to night school and did a heap of chores at home, but still found time to train and race his goats in the Moonta Billy Cart Races. Can Jack and Makayla complete all of Robert’s tasks and still compete in the Moonta goat cart championship? EPISODE THREE ‘Lennie the Legend’ 03Leongatha, Victoria In 1932, during the Great Depression, 9-year old engineering fan Lennie Gwyther dreamed of attending the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. After his father was injured EPISODE TWO in a farm accident, Lennie finished ploughing the family farm, all by himself. As a reward, ‘Olympia!’ his father agreed to let Lennie ride the 1,000 Wylie’s Baths, Coogee, Sydney, kilometres from Leongatha to Sydney on his New South Wales pony, Ginger Mick, to witness the historic 02 event. Lennie’s epic solo journey inspired the nation and he and Ginger Mick were invited to join the parade celebrating the bridge’s Former world record holder Wilhelmina opening! Can Gracey and Mikey complete (‘Mina’) Wylie, along with her friend Fanny a 24-hour stretch of Lennie’s long ride? Durack, were Australia’s first female Olympians, swimming their way to victory at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Can our modern swimmers better the time that secured Mina’s glory in the 100m race? EPISODE SIX EPISODE FOUR ‘Dancing on Wheels!’ ‘Pioneer Living German Style!’ 06Adelaide, South Australia Rodert’s Farm, Hahndorf, 04South Australia For 1980s kids, the local roller skating rink was the place to be! Roller disco, limbo and In 1850, 12-year old Lutheran refugee Thekla speed races all brought in the crowds. But Staude regularly trekked 26 kilometres it wasn’t just fun and games for everyone… overnight from her new home in Hahndorf Twelve-year old artistic skater Tammy village to market in Adelaide, where her Bryant trained hard to learn how to dance on handmade produce was in high demand. wheels! She braved tumbles and missteps With the money she earned, she bought to master the routines that won her the 1989 essential supplies for her family before Australian National Artistic Roller Skating walking back home, uphill all the way! Can Championship. And then at 13, she became Harper and Maeve make their own sausages, the youngest ever skater to represent churn butter, bake bread and pack their items Australia at the World Championships in safely before completing the 26-kilometre Germany, competing against adults! Can trek to market? And will they manage to sell Charli and Matthew match her grit and what they have made? resilience to master her signature moves? EPISODE FIVE EPISODE SEVEN ‘The Original ‘Ghan’ Trains’ ‘Plane Sailing!’ 05Beltana, Outback South Australia 07Sydney Harbour, New South Wales In the early 1900s, teenage Afghan Aboriginal In 1912, after two years living on board the cameleer William Satour guided his father’s three-masted sailing ship ‘James Craig’, camel train through some of Australia’s 14-year old deck boy Douglas Bull passed toughest country to deliver goods to remote his final seamanship text and was awarded outback communities. Can Ezekiel and the rank of ‘Ordinary Seaman’ by the ship’s Nathaniel follow in his footsteps to deliver captain. Can our modern sailors prove they their cargo safely and on time? are up to the task? ARE YOU TOUGHER THAN YOUR ANCESTORS Page 6 EPISODE TEN ‘Dai Gum San! EPISODE EIGHT 10Bendigo Easter Festival’ ‘The Big Match!’ Bendigo, Victoria 08Kadlitipari, South Australia In 1889, 9-year old Christina Tie had the honour of participating in the famous In 1832, 13-year old Kadli led his team to Bendigo Easter Parade. As the oldest festival victory during a Kaurna game of Parntu. He in Australia, it was one of the first places was chosen as the best player of the match where Chinese cultural performances were and given the honour of burying the ball in celebrated with the wider community. the field, ready for the next game. Can Ray People flocked to watch elaborately dressed Ray and Jaikye match Kadli’s Parntu skills performers like Christina dazzle them with and be awarded the best and fairest title? traditional Chinese acrobatic displays, music and dancing. Can Avie and Alyssa master their routines and put on a show that draws the crowds? EPISODE NINE ‘Milk Run!’ 09Melbourne, Victoria In 1940s Melbourne, teenage milkman Conway Tighe got up in the early hours to harness his horse Katie to his family’s loaded milk wagon, and then run non-stop for five hours to complete his milk deliveries on time. He never missed a day, not even at Christmas! Will Jeffrin and Harry’s customers have milk waiting on their doorsteps in the morning? LEARNING TASKS Foundation ‘Dancing on Wheels!’ Charli and Matthew attempt to Task 1 master the moves that won their Before watching this episode, ask coach, world champion artistic students to consider the meaning of roller-skater Tammy Bryant, the 1989 the series title: Are You Tougher than Artistic Roller-Skating Championship Your Ancestors? The word ‘ancestors’ when she was only 12 years old. may be new vocabulary for many Curriculum Context: students. In a think-pair-share task, have partners discuss the possible My Personal World meaning of the title and then share A colourful and amusing episode that their thinking with the class.