Letters to the Future
School Portal Information
We are inviting your school to participate in a local history initiative as part of the Esperance Museum’s 50th anniversary celebrations being held in October 2026.
Letters to the Future invites students to reflect on their lives today and share their experiences with the future community. Through a simple classroom activity, students are asked to create a written or illustrated memory that will be preserved and not accessed for 50 years. These contributions will form part of the Museum’s local history archive, helping future generations understand what life in Esperance was like in 2026.
The Project Purpose
At the heart of this initiative is a simple but important question: What will we tell people about life in Esperance in 50 years’ time?
Local history is not only about major events or well‑known figures. It is built from everyday life such as school, family, sport, community activities and the places that bring people together. These lived experiences provide valuable insight into how our community has changed over time, and what has remained important.
Just as diaries, photographs and letters from the past help us understand earlier generations, today’s student experiences will help future community members understand what life was like growing up in Esperance and what mattered at this point in time.
What students will do
Students are invited to complete a simple worksheet, where they can:
- Write or draw a memory
- Reflect on their everyday life
- Share something meaningful about Esperance
This might include school, family, sport, a favourite place, or a memorable moment. The focus is on storytelling and connection to place, not on facts, dates or formal writing.
Many of the past 50 years are not yet well represented in the local history archive. Much of this history still exists in personal memories and everyday experiences. This project helps to ensure that today’s stories are captured now, creating a richer and more inclusive record for the future.
In many ways, this initiative acts as a community time capsule, not buried, but carefully preserved, so that in 50 years’ time, people can look back and understand what life in Esperance was like.
School participation
Participation is flexible and voluntary, and schools may choose how widely they engage across classes or year levels.
- Firstly, let us know that you would like to participate.
- Download and print the worksheet below
- Students can complete the worksheet as part of a learning activity facilitated by their teacher or at home.
- Completed worksheets are collected by the school.
- The Museum team will deliver envelopes to each school that the worksheets can be packaged into.
- The full envelopes are collected by the Museum team.
By taking part, your students will contribute to a lasting record of Esperance, one that reflects everyday life, not just milestones.
A memory shared today may help someone, many years from now, understand where they come from, recognise a place, or see their own experiences reflected in the past.
We would be pleased to support your school’s involvement or answer any questions you may have.
