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AGTA Don Biddle Award - Friends of Geography Award

Congratulations to Julie Hearnden, on receiving this prestigious award in October at the Hobart Australian Geography Teachers Association.

Julie is currently the College's Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET) Coordinator and teacher of Geography, Research Project and Personal Learning Plan (PLP). Julie has effectively supported and grown Geography at Good Shepherd during her time here, initiating the first class of Senior Geography in 2016 and creating and running our Senior Geography Fieldwork in Singapore (which ran for three years prior to Covid).

We are very proud of Julie and her accomplishments and are truly blessed to have her on staff at Good Shepherd. Here is the Don Biddle Award citation for Julie.

Don Biddle Award citation for Julie Hearnden

Julie Hearnden has made a significant contribution to the teaching of geography, in both the Northern Territory where she is based and nationally as a previous member of the AGTA Board and the editor of the Geographia Journal.

Geography at the senior secondary level is not widely taught in the NT, despite the opportunities provided to teachers and students in our wonderful landscape and the tremendous need to focus on sustainability at a time where political and economic pressures threaten our varied and ancient landscape. Julie has always actively supported Territory teachers, either as a member of the GHTANT board or in mentoring new or inexperienced teachers of geography. Recently retired as Treasurer from the GHTANT board, Julie is one of only two former GHTANT members to be awarded Life Membership of our association, a tribute to her outstanding work and support to NT geography teachers.

Julie has worked to develop and nurture relationships outside of the NT which have benefited our teachers. Julie was president of SEANT (Social Educators Association of the Northern Territory) when the Northern Territory approached AGTA about joining as an affiliate. In January 2013, Julie officially engaged with AGTA about NT affiliate membership, leading to the recognition of geography as a discipline of importance to Northern Territory schools at a national level. 2023 will see our ten-year anniversary at an AGTA member, a feat which only eventuated due to Julie’s passion and commitment to geography education.

To reflect our role in leading geography education in the NT, Julie led SEANT’s renewal as GHTANT This process involved the redevelopment of the association’s constitution and its registration with NT Licensing. Although she stepped down as SEANT president in June 2013, Julie continued to play a strong role in the registration of GHTANT and in managing our relationship with AGTA. Due to her tireless work, AGTA formally accepted the membership application of the new GHTANT, and Julie attended every AGTA board meeting from that date until October 2019 when she stepped down as a GHTANT representative.

Julie has also been a strong advocate for geography curriculum in the Northern Territory. During her time with SEANT, she was a member of the working party that reviewed and improved the NT Curriculum HASS Framework for the Department of Education. Previously a generalised social studies curriculum, Julie actively promoted a discipline-based approach to the HASS curriculum to ensure that Geography education was given appropriate emphasis as an academic discipline. Julie also represented the Northern Territory in the initial ACARA development of the Geography and History curricula, as well as for the senior secondary curriculum. As a result of developing constructive professional networks at the national level, Julie invited leading geography educators to the Northern Territory to work with our teachers to improve their knowledge, understanding and competence in teaching geography and to effectively implement the new curriculum. These interstate professional learning visits have continued with Julie promoting the AGTA Roadshow and in bringing guests to Darwin for the NT’s biennial Festival of Teaching. Visits have included ESRI Australia, SheMaps as well as presentations from the current AGTA president, Susan Caldis.

The Festival of Teaching continues to be the major professional learning event for NT teachers. Every second year, hundreds of teachers from across the Territory engage with over 50 different workshops across all stages of schooling and curriculum areas. Julie was a lead organiser of the inaugural Festival of Teaching, bringing what was essentially an idea into fruition and ensuring that the event is the sustainable success that it is today.