Years ago I assumed a job was a career and every job adds up to make a progressively successful career. It was not until working as a teacher for 10 years that I realised that teaching is not about career progression or status or results. It’s about the outcomes we set for ourselves. Teaching goes beyond the classroom – it is about the memories we instil in the minds of our students. These are the ones I recall from my high school field trips. They helped me determine my likes and dislikes and exposed me to locations I would have never seen. Excursions are school adventures that tick outcomes but expose students to new horizons.
The Bathurst Goldfields was established for decades and is folklore and tradition for many schools in Australia. It fell into the hands of a new owner at the beginning of the year who have a plan for the site that exceeds its past. An Indigenous cultural centre, multi-media lab, sustainable garden designs, commercial kitchen……….to name a few.
Debbie Campbell and her mum Ruth Lennon are well known Bathurst icons. Well dressed, well mannered, love a good gossip but have always sought to better the community of Bathurst and help small business succeed. Ruth was a teacher in Oberon for over 40 years and purchased the Goldfields out of her passion for education and change. Ruth and he daughter share the same vision for the Goldfields……superior educational experiences.
Our new owners are there – hosting you! Making sure your experience is one to remember!
Debbie has hit the ground running at the Goldfields – determined, driven and detailed. The dorms, museum, hotel, manager’s quarters, blacksmiths shop, office and kitchen have been revitalised with a breath of fresh air. Standards have been lifted and staff are once again proud to be part of a team that builds memories for school children.
The Australian National Curriculum has been welcomed at the Goldfields. We have remodeled the amazing gold discovery tour – fire is billowed into the coal pits while the blacksmith forges his works, the waterwheel spins smoothly powering the water travelling through the ancient gold promising machines while the panning ponds tell a tale of their own…if you listen. Discoveries are yet to be made. Not only do students step back in time but I found myself looking over my shoulder for the gold diggers, searching my pockets for a miners licence and wondering whether I would strike fortune.
Gold Panning
So to witness the making of the best excursion venue NSW has ever seen follow our blog! The transformation will be documented weekly alongside honest tales and our trials and misfortunes.
In addition I promise excursion ideas, worksheets, school based activities, promotions and support for all the educators who will no doubt love to see a venue that teaches kids about history, geography, agriculture, Indigenous Australia, sustainability and music……..all at your doorstep!
Ruth Lennon – A local teaching inspiration. 
Very well written and informative! It will be a hit, please drop off info to piccolos on William and we will give to tourists to this great town!