May Education Update
Education and Tourism! My mind just goes a hundred miles an hour of all the possibilities in combining these two great industries. It's only been three years since I left my position working at Livingstone Christian College and I can honestly say that I love my job so much it hardly feels like work. Joining education & tourism together just feels natural to me as I've seen the inside of both these worlds and they have a natural symbiosis that is hard to argue against.
Today I'd like to share an insight into what I get to be a part of and why I love it so much.
Our company name is ‘Trailblazer Tours’ and as school terms go by I just feel that we are trailblazing into more areas and possibilities. Last year we had numerous camps departing for all of amazing destinations including Moreton Island, Fraser Island & The Great Barrier Reef.
The ones heading for Moreton Island were exploring in transparent kayaks and snorkelling around the Tangalooma Wrecks discovering ‘Dory’s’ world. Besides all the Angel Fish, it still amazes me the biodiversity of fish and coral around the wrecks - just stunning. Some of our tourism students were left just breathless at the Transparent Night Kayaking - the activity we pioneered in 2016. The silence as the kayaks glide through the water over mystical shipwrecks is just jaw dropping. Imagine the water being lit up by the LED lights as fish & turtles swim beneath. Again, I get to share this with them and show them the beauty of where they live!
Another highlight of my role is that I get to dive into the Australian Curriculum and merge it with the learning environment to make sure that the teachers are meeting their KLA’s! So while I'm a little bit shy about it, I actually love doing research and then presenting it within a program, whether it’s about marine biodiversity, geography, explaining the eco-sustainability, or the history of the Destination. I guess the passion behind that is that I get to bring forth education in a very ‘live way’. The image below is where I explored culture diversity with a whole bunch of students and teachers. So, if you have students that perhaps are no good at writing but are totally visual and tactile and creative? You know the ones that can’t sit still? They absolutely loved this part! One student excitedly commented that it added to her culture and she would love to come back with her Grandparents (of Aboriginal descent) and show them what she has learnt.
Last year I attended a Community Christmas lunch in Coomera at which City Care and countless of volunteers produced an amazing Christmas Lunch for anyone who felt lonely or was just struggling at that time. We had a very anxious lady attend, her husband was in between jobs, and this amazing mum was juggling her family that had not just one but 3 Special Needs kids. I attended as part of Australian Sunset Safaris and Trailblazer Tours. When we presented her with her Moreton Island 1 Day Holiday Tour for her family as a gift from Trailblazer Tours & Australian Sunset Safaris, she was overwhelmed. She just kept commenting "we have never been anywhere together as a whole family!" The children just kept announcing "So when are we going? Are we going tomorrow?". When the day came it was a day of firsts for the whole family: first snorkel, first kayak, first sandboarding and first 4WDing in one of our famous trucks.
Sadly, at the end of March we were introduced to someone called ‘Debbie’. I used to like that name but now I’m not a 100% sure. Cyclones and large tides and flooding are part of our reality here in Queensland however, the devastation of Debbie has been something that even I had not experienced in my lifetime. One of our valued schools is Murwillumbah State High and if you are a local you would easily recognise that Logan and Murwillumbah were affected quite drastically. After speaking with a teacher and reading the school newsletter, my heart felt heavy I was reduced to tears. I managed to muster some assistance and Trailblazer Tours partnered again with City Care, who helped with 10 Food Hampers valued at $150 to go to families who were severely affected by the floods and an additional 10 hampers given to students that are attending school but are homeless.
As you can see it's been a busy time for all of us here at Trailblazer tours, but I feel privileged to be involved with such amazing destinations and such fantastic educators. If you would like to hear more about our school camp options - please do get in touch with us either via our website www.trailblazertours.com.au or by emailing us direct at info@trailblazertours.com.au
Did you know we offer a “try before you buy” for all of our camps where yourself and 3 HOD are hosted to sample some of our school camp products? You can’t get a guarantee better than trying it out yourself! Contact us now to see if you’re eligible!
