Long time teacher Brian Bourke has overseen the development of many young people through the years and several have gone on to become household names. As the founder of the family day during the Eaglehawk Dahlia and Arts Festival he encourages the community to partake in the many activities planned for this Sunday. Our newsmaker was born in Charlton. He grew up on the family farm at Mount Jeffcott. Brian attended the local rural school where there were just 10 students and when it closed he attended school in Charlton and then secondary education at nearby St Arnaud. Brian then headed to Bendigo in 1958 where he trained to be a teacher. He had two brothers looking after the farm so decided to move away from home and get in to the teaching area. Once qualified his first posting was at Lawler, between Donald and Minyip which he described as a wonderful experience. “Those early days of the teaching profession took me to the western district to a little school at Ballangeich before it closed,” he said. “Then I headed up to Winton in the north east of the state. “Next posting as I climbed the ranks was at Cudgewa which was very cold in the winter months. “I spent four years living near the motor racing circuit at Winton before getting posted to Melbourne where I had stints at Braybrook and then Sunshine.” In late 1975 Brian had the opportunity to come to Bendigo and he bought a house in Panton Street, Eaglehawk. He taught at the Eaglehawk Primary School from 1976 to 1982 followed by a five year posting at Kangaroo Flat. “It was great coming back to the country and I really got involved in the local community,” he said. “I eventually finished my teaching at the Eaglehawk North Primary School in 1992. “I had always been very interested in working with students with learning difficulties. “I then did some study in that area. “I used to tutor some students after school and that was when I started up the Brian Bourke Teaching Centre. “The youngest student is a young child in kinder and the oldest is a man in his mid forties. “It is a most enjoyable job,’’ Brian said. Our newsmaker has seen the development of young people at local schools and also now in his role as a tutor. During the late 1990s Brian bought the Eaglehawk Times and built circulation from 4000 copies up to 7000 and he proudly explained that he only produced good news in the paper he owned for just on five years. This weekend the main focus for our newsmaker is the Eaglehawk Dahlia and Arts Festival and in particular his role as the founder and chairman of the Sunday Family Day. “What makes this so special is to see mums and dads with their children and grand children all participating together in a great range of leisure activities,” he said. “There are many benefits to gain socially, educationally, physically, and especially families participating in an active recreation. “Our new activity this year is the skate park where we have five instructors coming along and we encourage people to come along between 10am and midday. “There are also the usual entertainments such as jumping castles and a merry-go-round for the young ones,’’ Brian said. Our newsmaker also extends an invitation to residents to come along and listen to the concert which starts at 10.30am on Sunday and showcases the local talent. It is also a great opportunity for local musical clubs to promote themselves. Soon to turn 68, Brian loves the lifestyle in Eaglehawk and he said the community atmosphere is sensational. He loves to catch up with former students and he enjoys watching their personal development. “I have been very fortunate to teach so many wonderful people over the years out here at Eaglehawk. “I like to see former students such as Kirsty Sword come back to Eaglehawk. “I also follow the fortunes of sporting students such as basketballer Ben Hunt and golfer Andrew Martin. “There have been many great role models for this community through the years.” This Sunday Brian hopes to see large numbers of families take time to enjoy the many activities on offer at the Sunday Family Day in Canterbury Park.
