Year 11 History students have been revisiting the infamous 1981 Springbok Tour and recently spent time visiting the Royal Police College Museum.

This term we are learning about the 1981 Springbok Tour which saw Aotearoa divided into two warring camps. On one side the rugby fans were adamant that politics should stay out of sport, on the other side the anti-tour protestors were demonstrating against the system of apartheid in South Africa. The Police were in the middle trying to keep the peace. 

Never before or since has Aotearoa seen such violence in our streets. Our students had the great privilege of hearing a retired Police Sergeant speak about his experience as a young front-line officer involved in policing the tour. 

After his talk, we explored the museum’s exhibit on the Tour and had some free time to enjoy the rest of the museum - indulging in some dressing-up antics. It was a really valuable experience for our students who are writing an assessment on the three different perspectives of the 1981 Tour, it really brought the event to life for them.