Carol McGavisk’s Heritage Walk Tour takes visitors through a two-hour tour of Broken Hill’s rich art and architectural history.
Credited with being amongst the founders of the present-day heritage walking tours, she completed twelve months of training in 2016 prior to commencing her tours in 2017.
“There was another walking tour group that folded previously, and it took about a year or two to get it going again,” Ms McGavisk commented.
“I was interested in becoming a guide when the other group were doing it, but I had other commitments at the time,” she added.
Seeing the group fold, however, triggered Ms McGavisk to explore the opportunity further. She considered different options, including establishing her own independent walking tour.
“Tourism in Broken Hill is working, and I thought I wouldn’t mind getting involved in it to see what it’s like. However, when I started with the Council walk tour, I realised it took an awful lot of energy to do it and I would never be able to do walks every day of the week,” she recounted.
So, instead of going her own way, she decided to volunteer once a week as part of the Council program.
Ms McGavisk enjoys a strong resume of volunteering, having been a volunteer in various capacities since her early twenties.
She served as volunteer Treasurer for three organisations over several years, Publicity Officer and Market Organiser for the Centre for Community for four years, was in the Philharmonic Choir for forty years, as well as Theatre 44 over the years.
In her role as a volunteer guide, exploring Broken Hill’s history became her passion. She told the Truth that “I enjoy the storytelling and enjoy explaining the stories behind the buildings.”
While the stories about the Trades Hall and unionism resonate strongly with visitors, other stories such as the Coat of Arms on the Courthouse have proven a hit with tourists.
“People would ask what the Coat of Arms was about and what the meaning of the writing is, so I investigated and found that it was about division of power in the British Constitution.
“The Monarch was the deliverer of justice. Not all power resided in either the Parliament or Monarchy, instead, they shared power,” Ms McGavisk recounted.
Another favourite story amongst the visitors is about the statue of the Bomber, our World War I memorial, out the front of the courthouse.
“365 locals died in the First World War, but when General Sir John Monash visited Broken Hill in 1920/21, he found no memorial to the fallen,” Ms McGavisk mentioned.
“So, he set about ordering one and left the Broken Hill people to pay for it; they did by fundraising, [and] then the General returned in 1925 to unveil the statue,” she added.
Ms McGavisk went on to say that in her travels around Australia, she hasn’t come across a similar memorial. “Our Bomber is a real soldier, and I am sure the General had some input into his design.”
When asked what advice she would give to aspiring Heritage Walk Tour volunteers, she noted three key requirements.
“They need to be interested in history, they need to have a good memory, and they need to be fit enough to walk for a couple of hours,” she laughed.
Concluding that “it would be great if we can attract some younger people,” she recognised that “we know work commitments could be difficult for them, but it’s a great training ground if they are interested in tourism locally.”
For those who are interested in learning more about volunteering with Visitor Services, please call Patrick Kreitner, the coordinator, on 8080 3571.
