Part of John Winston Howard's vision of expanding the historical knowledge of Australian schoolchildren has reached fruition. This from the office of the minister for, among other things, Heritage (Malcolm Turnbull):

AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS KEEP OUR HISTORY ALIVE

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull MP today announced the winners for the Howard Government’s 2006 inaugural Captain Cook Essay Competition and encouraged students to enter the 2007 competition.

Students from Years 4-12 from all across Australia took part in the competition, composing essays exploring Lieutenant James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay.

The competition was divided into three divisions, with prizes including a trip to England (Cook’s birthplace), and educational vouchers for school libraries.

“As Prime Minister John Howard said at the History Summit last year, the Australian Government is committed to bringing about ‘a renaissance of both interest in and understanding of Australian history’,” Mr Turnbull said.

“The Captain Cook Essay Competition is an exciting way of encouraging school children to look deep into our past and imagine the world which Cook inhabited.

“The competition gives students an added dimension to their current studies and offers the opportunity to practice their research and writing skills.”

“Funded by the Australian Government, this competition aims to keep Australia’s history alive.

“The 2007 competition has already been well received, with the Department of Environment and Water Resources receiving hundreds of requests for competition resource kits from both teachers and students. I encourage those who have not yet signed up to do so.”

Everything you want to know about the 2007 Captain Cook Essay Competition can be found at the cultural revolution website www.heritage.gov.au