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Pioneering a legacy: Empowering future educators through alumni circles of giving
Alumni giving circles enable those with shared values to unite and make a significant philanthropic impact collectively. When alumni pool their small donations into a larger gift, they create opportunities that can make a life-changing difference over time.
For over two decades, Alumni associations from our predecessor teaching institutions –Bathurst Teacher’s College (BTC), Wagga Wagga Teacher’s College (WWTC), and Wagga Agricultural College Old Boys Union (WACOBU)have been creating a lasting legacy for the next generation of educators through the creation and funding of scholarships. This tradition of giving is a cornerstone of their legacy, as they pass on almost 70 years of extensive expertise from diverse educational backgrounds.
Our experienced WWTC, BTC and WACOBU principals and teachers alike, united by their belief in the cause, understand the profound impact a scholarship can have for a teaching student. Known as the ‘Pioneers’, these alumni groups are deeply committed to the educational journey of teaching students they sponsor, witnessing firsthand how they flourish and succeed. Extending their support far beyond financial contributions, they also offer invaluable mentoring and a wealth of knowledge accumulated from years in the teaching profession. These alumni follow their scholarship recipient journeys from the moment they receive their scholarships, through their initial years in the classroom, and on to the heights of their careers.
The Wagga Wagga Teacher’s College Alumni Association (WWTCAA) has been supporting students since 1997 and is comprised of more than 3000 members who collectively give to a Scholarship Fund in the same name. WWTC was the first wholly residential co-educational tertiary institution in Australia, and commenced classes in June 1947, with the college formally opening a year later. Many members from the inaugural cohort of WWTC students are now among the most passionate supporters of the WWTCAA scholarship fund, embodying a remarkable legacy of generosity and commitment to education.
Similarly, the Wagga Agricultural College Old Boys’ Union (WACOBU), nurtured foundational Alumni from 1949, who remain committed to Charles Sturt University. WACOBU stands as a testament to the enduring bonds formed within the college. Through their scholarship fund, WACOBU members honour their shared legacy, providing scholarship support and mentorship to students. This scholarship, like the WWTCAA scholarship, embodies the tradition of giving back, ensuring that the spirit of excellence and community cultivated at the predecessor institution of WWAC continues to thrive on Charles Sturt campuses today.
Established on the historic site of the Bathurst Experiment Farm, The Bathurst Teacher’s College (BTC) saw its first students beginning their training in March 1951.
In 2001, Pioneer Helen Egan (pictured below), dreamed that if the BTC Alumni could raise enough donations, a scholarship could be presented in 2051 - one hundred years after BTC first began in 1951. This vision gave rise to the Bathurst Teacher’s College Alumni Scholarship, with strong backing from the BTC Alumni Association.
As the founding President of the BTCAA, Helen also championed other foundational initiatives, including the construction of a memorial fountain in the Alumni Common. Thanks to the persistent spirit of these early BTC alumni and Helen’s relentless drive, this legacy of generosity continues. The fund, like the WWTCAA and WACOBU funds, thrives on alumni donations, creating this beautiful circle of giving where former students support new generations pursuing careers in education.
The power of the circle of giving and the collective belief in this cause is what counts. Seeing students make it to graduation through their lasting legacy is their reason for choosing to donate through their associations.
For the WWTC, BTC and WACOBU alumni, following in their footsteps and ensuring teaching students walk onto the graduation stage and into Australian classrooms is their reason ‘why’. One day, our ‘Pioneers’ will no longer be with us – but the legacy they maintain will always endure.
