1978 School Magazine

For: Physics The last thing any of us expected when we embarked upon our physics studies, was that we would ever be taken on a physics excursion; so when it was announced that on the 29th March both 6th form physics classes would be tripping off to the Swanbank Power station, many were, to say the least, surprised. So under the able supervision of Miss Collinson and Mr. Garton we were herded off to lpswich. Having reached the Station, we were informed that for our "own safety", we would all be expected to don helmets (teachers included !). So feeling slightly heavy headed, not to mention self conscious, we were shown over the power station. The noise oJ the generator was not unbearable. ln fact the general consensus of opinion was that the INTENSI- TY LEVEL ('10 log,olz = n) measured in DECIBELS was Ir considerably lower than the typical physics lesson. That is to say that the number of FONZE (or phons)was con- siderably less than the physics lesson. Anyway to get back to the static subject of electricity, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the crusher, conveyor, coal burner, pulveriser, draught fan, condenser and the step up transformer. We then boarded the bus, and 112 hours later arrived back at school in time for the Easter Assembly at St. John's. I think it would be true to say that all students found the day physically demanding. Having recovered from the initial physics excursion, the physics staff supposedly decided that it was time for another shock to the system - the solar system. We at- tended a series of lectures at Kelvin Grove on Astrophysics. These were very interesting and if you wish to know any further details, please see Mr. Faragher or Mr. Garton as after we woke them up, they found the bus trip back very interesting I Kerri Allman a

2nd and 3rd Form Science Excursion to the Planetarium. On Wednesday and Thursday, 28th and 29th of June, some of the 2nd and 3rd Form classes went for an excur- sion to the Planetarium. We left in buses to travel to Mount Coot-tha where this unusual structure is situated. When we arrived, we entered the concrete dome and walked along a hallway lined with photographs of stars and planets. This led to the room in which we were to view the celestial bodies. The lights were projected on the dome fifteen metres above us and we were given a talk on the stars through the night and year, the constellations, the planets and comets and meteors. Afierwards we asked questions, many of them about how such a realistic effect had been achieved. This, the beauty and educational value of the trip made it well worthwhile. Kathie JeaYs, 2A.

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(teft +o right) S. Ande.rson, R.l{ikles, tr. Cross, L. Nugent ,R .bornl:rcrst.

Mt. Coot-tha On Tuesday 12th September, the whole of fifth form (minus about 5 girls who had the sense not to do biology or geography), went on an excursion to Mt. Coot-tha. The day started off well (from the teachers' point of view), with everyone behaving well and conscientiously studying the general environment and especially the three communitles dominated by eucalypts, Tristania conferta, and vine forest. Vegetation was plentiful but fauna consisted mainly of unseen birds and an unusual lace monitor. After putting up with the boiling sun for a few hours, the water became too tempting for a number of girls, in- cluding a certain biology teacher's niece who became involved in a highly illegal water fight. This provided en- joyable entertainment for us while we digested our lun- ches, which by the way, was a rather lengthy process for some girls who had consumed prodigious quantities of barbecued steaks and salads. Discussion of our observations followed and by 2.30 everybody (dry and otherwise) were well and truly ready to h6ad hbme. As well as being an entertaining and en- joyable day, the excursion proved to be beneficial to our biology studies of ecologY. 5E

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