Ms TRISH DOYLE (Blue Mountains): The Woodford Academy in the Blue Mountains is the oldest complex of colonial era buildings in the region. Originally built as an inn in the 1830s, between 1907 and 1936 it was the site of an exclusive school, the Woodford Academy. Today, with the assistance of a group of dedicated volunteers, the Woodford Academy operates as a museum of sorts, offering a unique insight into colonial era life. I pay tribute to the hard work of the National Trust and volunteers, including Libby and Noel Burgess, Brian Kirkby, Felicity Anderson and Dat Lieu, who make it possible to enjoy and understand the history of the Woodford Academy.

Last year on Anzac Day, the Woodford Academy hosted a special dusk service, which I attended with my son as well as members of the Rural Fire Service, our local community and representatives from the Blue Mountains City Council. The academy was a particularly poignant setting for this service, given 54 students of the school would go on to enlist for service in World War I. The Woodford Academy is an excellent historical resource for locals and visitors to the Blue Mountains alike, and I thank once again the volunteers whose dedication brings the academy to life.