Last week we learnt about the skills needed to successfully navigate a ship, both in 1836 and today. This week more navigational references are made in Hutchinson’s journal. How would these skills have been acquired and what education would have been required in 1836 to navigate a ship successfully across the globe? There were a number of children onboard the Buffalo, travelling to South Australia. Had these children been going to school back in England? What sorts of skills would they have brought with them and what skills what they been taught during the journey? Stevenson in his journal makes a number of references to children, expressing his concern about their lack of education during the journey. How important was schooling in 1836 and what knowledge, skills and understandings did children need for life in the new colony?
