Keep calm and carry on to Fort Lytton this Easter

Issued: 15 Mar 2022

School-aged children visiting Fort Lytton National Park this Easter will be transported back to war-time Brisbane as part of a fun, new hands-on school holiday activity that uses drama to portray the critical role women played in the Australian army.

Ranger Daley Donnelly said Carry on Fort Lytton tells the fictional story of the confusion experienced when both male and female recruits arrived at Fort Lytton for training in 1944.

“Carry on Fort Lytton, as seen through the eyes of Sergeant Wilson and Corporal Jones, pays homage to the early Carry On films that took an affectionate look back at the war years,” Ranger Daley said.

“It is also an exciting way to bring this history into the 21^st Century in a fun and engaging experience that kids will remember for a lifetime.

“Participating children will conduct drills that soldiers and women used to do, including learning how to use a semaphore and going for a march.

“They will learn about the recruitment of women into the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) during World War II and how Fort Lytton was a crucial Australian training base.

“Recent research has found that Fort Lytton was heavily dependent on the AWAS and there were often more women on base than men.

“From 1881 until the 1930s Fort Lytton was Brisbane’s front line of defence and is regarded as the birthplace of Queensland’s military history.

“Thousands of men and women served and trained here before the men were deployed overseas, and some of our women ended up serving in Papua New Guinea during World War II.”

Carry On Fort Lytton is the third school holiday program to be launched at Fort Lytton National Park and will run from 10am to 12:30pm on April 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14.

Tickets cost $20 per child, with no charge for supervising adults.

Bookings are essential – please call 07 3393 4647.

Fort Lytton National Park also runs several “Go Back in Time” school programs that have a strong educational focus using drama and theatre techniques designed to engage children’s imaginations, connect them to the place and encourage them to critically think about the past.

To find out more about the Go Back In Time programs or to learn more about Fort Lytton National Park see: Fort Lytton National Park.