Pedare Farm: Keith visits the learning centre in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

School teachers are always on the lookout for ways to bring history to life. Many take advantage of the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage annual School Heritage Competition. In one category of the competition students are encouraged to produce a video of a local heritage topic - and possibly win the 'Postcards Award' - as judged by the Postcards team.

This year's winning entry came from a group of Year 8 students at the Pedare Christian College at Golden Grove. In their winning video called 'Undiscovered History', these budding young Postcards reporters took us to Elder Green Farm - one of the original farms in the Golden Grove area.

Before the ever-encroaching housing subdivisions, Elder Green was sprawling with paddocks of hay, verdant orchids and later grapevines. Just a few valuable acres remain as a priceless living slice of our pioneering past. A magical sliver of the country - almost frozen in time as busy suburban life marches on around it.

The boys were lucky enough to get some expert help with their research thanks to the vivid memories of the very sprightly 80-something Mrs. Joyce Chamberlain - current owner and grand daughter George Chapman, the bloke who set up Elder Green in the 1850s.

George Chapman's first home - a slab hut is still in remarkable condition. The original hand cut walls of solid redgum stand strong and in their video, the boys recounted what life must have been like for the family of four.

For teacher David DeBoar, projects like this help get history out of the text books and out of the classroom.

David DeBoar, teacher: "This is fantastic. We couldn't have planned this better - really to have something like this on our doorstep and to be able to take children here first hand, see history. It's so important because in our communities this is disappearing fast." If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Published 21st June 2009