Year 11 Legal Studies Sydney Trip

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Departing KCC:

Year 11 Legal Studies classes from our school and Mater Dei Catholic College took part in the 2016 excursion to Sydney. On Tuesday afternoon we all met at Coleman Street before going on our journey to Mater Dei and then straight to Sydney. We had a pit stop on the way at Goulburn where we all had dinner and a break from the long bus trip with our great driver Dave, from Allens Coaches. Soon enough, we continued on and arrived in Sydney at 10 pm to our Youth Hostel where we got familiar with our surroundings and even met some backpackers from Hawaii. It was a late arrival but we were all so excited for our adventures the next day that we went straight to bed.

Visit to Downing Centre/ John Maddison Centre/ Central Local Court:

On Wednesday morning we walked up to the Sydney District and Local Courts. We encountered some difficulty in getting into the courts because there was a gang related terrorist case being heard. We were given the opportunity to speak to the magistrate presiding over the Local Court. She talked to

us about her role as a Judge, the difficulties she faces, the purpose of punishment as the funniest cases she has heard.

Judge Hoy:

Mid morning both KCC and MDCC visited Judge Hoy in the John Maddison Tower for a Q and A Session about his role as a judge. Judge Hoy gave the students the opportunity to ask questions relating to his job and position which allowed the students to gain a greater understanding of Judge Hoy’s job. He spent 40 minutes with us and stopped his trial to do this. In addition to our discussion with Hoy, the students were able to speak and ask questions to a court officer first hand. The court officer was then able to explain to the students his role and importance in the court system.

Robert Xie Case:

After meeting with Judge Hoy, we left for the Supreme Court to witness the fourth retrial of the Lin family murder case. Robert Xie has been charged with allegedly murdering 5 members of his wife's family due to personal intentions for his 15 year old niece as well as access to the family’s trust funds. We witnessed the crown's opening address to the jury, in which they introduced the evidence that they would be showing the court. Present in the court was the judge, the court officer, the crown, Xie’s defence lawyer, an interpreter, Robert Xie and fifteen people on the Jury. Before the crown began, the defence attempted to throw out the jury, at which point the judge denied the request

Police and Justice Museum:

On Thursday morning, we took a tour around the NSW Police and Justice Museum. We were toured around the original magistrates court, police charge room and remand cells, which were all styled to replicate the 19th century. We viewed a gallery of mugshots of Sydney’s early criminals and a variety of authentic weapons used during those early years and also a variety of objects gathered from a variety of legendary bushrangers. The tour guide (Natalie) explained some of the earliest notorious crimes in Australia including the Pyjama Girl Case and the Graeme Thorne Kidnapping. After our extensive tour, students were able to participate in a mock trial relating to drug offences. This gave us the opportunity to understand the court process in more clarity and appreciate the amount of time and work that goes into such a small proceeding.

The Trip Home:

From here we had lunch in the sunshine overlooking Circular Quay and then we boarded the coach to return to Wagga.

Shane Fuller | Leader of Curriculum

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