NSW history teachers offered fully funded trip to Gallipoli, the Western Front or Thailand
A Sydney-headquartered battlefield tour company has teamed up with the state's peak history teaching body to send a NSW teacher to the trenches of Europe or the jungles of Thailand — in a bid to bring firsthand war history back into the classroom.
The History Teachers Association of NSW (HTANSW) and Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours have launched the inaugural NSW History Teachers Anzac Scholarship, offering one teacher a fully funded place on an Anzac Day 2027 tour worth around $10,000.
Applications opened in May and close on Sunday, 4 October 2026. The winning teacher will get to choose between four itineraries: an eight-day tour of Gallipoli, a ten-day tour of the Western Front culminating in the Anzac Day service at Villers-Bretonneux, a four-day tour to Ypres with a dawn service at Polygon Wood, or a five-day tour to Hellfire Pass in Thailand, tracing the WWII "Death Railway."
The prize covers return economy airfares from Sydney and the full guided land tour, led by a professional historian. The winner can also bring a companion at a discounted rate.
Behind the scholarship is a simple premise: teachers who have stood on the ground they teach about bring history to life more vividly for their students. HTANSW president Anne Gripton said the partnership reflected the association's mission to deepen teachers' knowledge so they can pass it on in the classroom, while battlefield historian and company founder Mat McLachlan — currently touring the historic sites of Europe himself — said the scholarship was about giving one teacher's experience "ripple effects" across classrooms nationwide.
The award is designed to extend its impact beyond a single recipient. The successful applicant will write up their experience for Teaching History, HTANSW's journal, and produce further resources — such as classroom materials — to share with teachers across the state.
To apply, candidates need a current HTANSW membership number (personal or faculty), and must submit a short video addressing four questions: which tour they'd choose and why, their existing knowledge of the region, what they hope to learn, and how the experience would shape their teaching.
A panel of historians and education professionals will judge applications on their passion for Anzac history, understanding of how battlefield learning translates to the classroom, and willingness to share what they learn. Personal or family ties to WWI are considered a bonus rather than a requirement.
Organisers say it's the first year of what they hope will become an annual fixture on the NSW teaching calendar.
Applications are made online: https://battlefields.com.au/
