An Armidale Secondary College student will head to the past to participate in an international history tour to learn more about Australia’s wartime history after being awarded a prestigious NSW Government scholarship.
Rachel Gooley, a Year 11 student studying Modern History at ASC, was one of just twenty scholars across the state chosen to receive the Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship (PAMS) for 2025.
The scholarship offers Year 10 and 11 History students in NSW the chance to embark on a study tour, designed to deepen their understanding of the service undertaken by Australians in the World Wars and other conflicts.
Guided walking tours of significant sites, heritage buildings and fortifications, cemeteries, museums and memorials, are included in the itinerary, with tour groups coming together each evening to reflect on the day.
This year’s tour to the Republic of Korea and Singapore will take place in the Term 3 school holidays from 29 September to 10 October 2025, with students and accompanying teachers to delve into the war past of both nations by visiting significant historical sites accompanied by a military historian.
Miss Gooley said she applied for the scholarship because it seemed like an awesome way to expand her Modern History knowledge and get an overseas trip.
“I’m super excited about being immersed in two very different cultures, and I think that I will learn a lot from the detailed history element of the tour. Korean food is also going to be a highlight,” she said.
During the tour of the Republic of Korea, students will visit Gapyeong, the site of the Battle of Kapyong, the UN First Battle Memorial and Maryang San, the Incheon landing site.
The tour in Singapore will see students visit the Kranji War Memorial, Changi Prison Chapel and Museum and the Fort Siloso and Surrender Chambers.
Miss Gooley said she finds studying Modern History super fun.
“My teacher is amazing and I really enjoy learning about all of the different circumstances and scenarios that people in different places and different times experienced,” she said.
“I think that Australians’ experience at war has shaped a lot of who we are as a nation, and it’s really important for people of all ages to research and discuss this.”
More than 150 students from 112 high schools across NSW applied for the PAMS scholarship by submitting a personal essay and letter of recommendation from their school.
Representatives from the NSW Government, the History Teachers Association of NSW, and two former PAMS accompanying teachers then compiled a shortlist of 20 students.
Armidale Secondary College Modern History teacher Patrick Lane said the scholarship was an incredibly exciting opportunity for Rachel and the other students selected.
“For her Modern History Historical Investigation, Rachel chose to research the Battle of Incheon. She spent a great deal of time investigating archives and primary source documents about this which demonstrated fantastic historical research skills,” he said.
“To be able to have the opportunity to visit the landing site of the battle is a significant opportunity for Rachel to understand her Historical Investigation project in a new light.”
“It will also be such a valuable opportunity to connect with other student historians while on the study tour.”
Mr Lane said that the entire school community is very proud of Rachel’s efforts and will be looking forward to hearing all about her experiences when she returns.
Mr Lane said that as a school in a regional area, it is so much more challenging to access opportunities to engage with history on a practical level compared with other schools in urban areas.
“We have fantastic resources such as the University of New England and the wonderful expertise of our teachers – however nothing compares to visiting and experiencing historical locations first hand,” he said.
Mr Lane added that a study tour like this would not be possible for the students without access to generous support from scholarships.
“History is a subject that is often considered by many to be simply reading out of dusty old textbooks,” he said.
“Nothing could be further from the truth as history is all around us and impacts our world in many different ways.”
“Engaging with history on Study Tours where students can learn from subject experts and see the places they are learning about in real life provides an incredibly rich learning experience.”
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