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Miss our latest DigiTalk? Watch it HERE
DigiTalks enables regular visitors – as well as the wider Australian community – to overcome the tyranny of distance and stay connected with our extraordinary places on Sydney Harbour.
Each instalment features a presenter who can offer rich insights into our heritage destinations, including their history, flora and fauna, or who can speak more broadly about the history of the world’s greatest harbour.
Between 1871 and 1911, Cockatoo Island hosted two nautical school ships for neglected and delinquent boys: the ‘Vernon’ (1871-1892) and the ‘Sobraon’ (1892-1911).
With a wholesome curriculum of academic work, trade-training and sport, these ships – the first Public Industrial Schools in NSW – sought to rescue the rising criminal generations from further degradation.
Join Sydney-based historian, author and teacher, Sarah Luke on Wednesday 14 April as she discusses the research that fuelled her latest book, Like a Wicked Noah’s Ark: The Nautical School Ships Vernon & Sobraon. Sarah will delve into the daily workings of the two ships, and discuss some of their most interesting alumni.
Sarah Luke is a teacher and historian. Her first book, 'Callan Park, Hospital for the Insane', was shortlisted for the 2019 NSW Premier’s History Award (Community and Regional History Prize). Her second book, 'Like a Wicked Noah’s Ark: The Nautical School Ships Vernon & Sobraon', was published in 2020.
We are delivering our DigiTalks series using Zoom, an easy-to-use platform for video conferences, chats and webinars. Attendees don’t need a Zoom account to join one of our DigiTalks as we’ll email login details to registrants prior to each instalment. Zoom has advised that users will have the best experience when they download either the desktop application (Windows/Mac) or mobile app (Android/Apple) in advance of a DigiTalk. To download the desktop application or mobile app, visit: zoom.us/download
The DigiTalks Archive is a curated selection of videos enabling people to revisit – or enjoy for the very first time – past instalments in our popular webinar series and gain rich insights into the history of Sydney Harbour, including our network of heritage destinations.
Visit overview
Cockatoo Island
Headland Park
Macquarie Lightstation
North Head Sanctuary
Sub Base Platypus
Woolwich Dock and Parklands
