College boss to pursue new life
Longerenong College’s departing general manager John Goldsmith is confident he leaves the institution in a position to continue forging ahead in the tertiary-education sector.
Mr Goldsmith, 54, general manager of the agricultural college for the past 12 years as part of a 30-year stint with the historic institution, confirmed last week he was shifting to northern Queensland.
He said the move for him and his wife Melissa was a lifestyle choice ‘to pursue something different’.
“Part of me finds it very hard to leave. There is so much going on at the college and it is such an exciting time,” he said.
“But it doesn’t really matter when you draw the line, there is always something going on.
“We want to make the move while we’re still young enough to do it. Moving to Port Douglas is not just a new chapter for us, it is starting a new book.
“We’ve bought a house there and both of us will pursue part-time jobs.”
Mr Goldsmith, finishing up in his role on July 2, said he remained proud of what the college had achieved during his tenure.
“I’m leaving knowing the college is in a really good place and moving forward,” he said.
“Things were really tough when we departed from Melbourne University. We had low student numbers, were struggling financially and the college farm, caught in the middle of a long drought, was losing money.
“We’ve been able to improve things over
time and it has taken a real team effort. I am only one part of that team.
“One of the toughest things was changing public perception. At one stage many people thought the college was closed. It took several years to eradicate that thought process.”
Mr Goldsmith said the college, operated by Skillinvest, had evolved into a leading tertiary institution.
“Not to be too biased, but Longerenong rates as one of the main agricultural colleges in Australia – particularly with a data farm up and going at a national, if not international standard,” he said.
“We have infrastructure developments underway including multi-million-dollar upgrades for the agribusiness centre and accommodation expansion.
“We also had our first three international graduates walk across the stage.
“It is all just going really well.”