Bev JordanCommunity News

The Best Kept Secret in the Hills!

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/12″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1/5 vc_col-md-1/5 vc_col-xs-1/5″][us_image image=”67172″ size=”full” align=”left” style=”circle” has_ratio=”1″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-4/5 vc_col-md-4/5 vc_col-xs-4/5″][vc_column_text]By Annette Madjarian[/vc_column_text][us_post_date][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Every Tuesday during school term time, a community bus leaves the car park at Learning in The Hills at the Balcombe Heights Masonic Schools complex, on Seven Hills Road, Baulkham Hills. 1 day trip
We leave at 9am for our day out and return by approximately 3pm. Where does the bus go and what does it do? It takes its passengers on 1 day trip to many different and delightful locations.

The day excursions are many and varied, to destinations such as the Southern Highlands; the Blue Mountains; the Central Coast and also to many other different locations in and around the Sydney metropolitan area. These day trips could include museums, art galleries, open gardens, historical sites, scenic drives, open government buildings, etc.

All of our bus trips are planned well in advance with travellers receiving an 8-week, well-detailed, plan of the proposed trips that will be undertaken during that period. The details include exactly where the bus will be going and what our travellers will see and do. Our drivers will make stops for morning tea en route and also for lunch.

Sometimes, depending on the route being taken, our morning tea stops could be in a lovely park somewhere, with facilities, or a stop at a café for our travellers to purchase a snack and a tea or a coffee if they choose. Lunch will usually be at a café or similar, at our destination for that day and will be at your own expense. Alternatively, our travellers can also take their own morning tea snacks and also lunch, if they prefer.

All of our drivers are Volunteers, very experienced, friendly and very accommodating and we travel in a Toyota Coaster bus that will accommodate 20 passengers. There is also a hostess on board to help all travellers enjoy their day and to answer any questions they may have.

Some of the excursions that are already in the planning stages for next term – July/ August/early September – are:

• “Windyridge” Garden at Mt Wilson in the Blue Mountains
• The Mint in Sydney
• Headland Park Quarantine Station, Mosman
• Grand Pacific Drive south of Sydney
• A Central Coast Scenic Drive via Wisemans Ferry and Spencer
• “Lisgar” Gardens at Hornsby

The above trips are just an example of some of the trips that we do, with different locations selected for each of the four school term periods each year. The only requirement we have for our travellers is that they be selfmanaging and do not have any mobility issues, as we are unable to assist with or accommodate wheelchairs, walking frames, etc.

We charge an upfront payment of $160 per person for our 8-week term, which works out to be just $20 per weekly excursion plus expenses when out and about. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept casual bookings on a week-byweek basis.

For a great day out, and if you would like to find out more about joining our Tuesday Travellers bus trips group, please phone Learning in the Hills on 96397918. While you’re at it, why not check out the range of other great classes on offer through Learning in the Hills, including our exciting new Choir Group and Bollywood Dance for Fun class.

The program is available on Hills Community Aid website: www.hca.org.au/learninginthehills[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][us_image image=”68386″ size=”full” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Bev Jordan

Bev Jordan studied journalism at Harlow College in the UK.  She achieves a Diploma in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. After migrating to Australia at the end of 1984, she took up a Senior Journalist position with Cumberland Newspapers, based on the Parramatta Advertiser. She has since worked on the Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald and was a lecturer in Journalism at Macleay College in Sydney. Bev returned to Cumberland Newspapers (NewsLocal) and worked for 30 years covering all different mastheads, including Mosman Daily, Mount Druitt Standard and finally Hills Shire Times for the last 17 of those years. Bev’s passion has always been local community journalism.  She says “As a journalist, I have always seen it as my job to inform, inspire and involve.  I am a passionate advocate for organisations and people making a difference to the world around them. Connectedness is so important to the health of an individual but also to a community, no matter how small or large.

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