By Olivia Condous
Caroline Torode is a high school teacher in Melton who loves to share her passion for Western Front and as a result, she’s received international recognition.
The Kurunjang Secondary College teacher was awarded one of eight grants from the Western Front Association as part of its masters grant scheme.
Ms Torode is the only recipient located outside of the United Kingdom to receive the grant and the only woman on the list.
She said she was “pretty rapt” to have gained the recognition.
“It is a big thing, in World War I research, to be acknowledged at that level by that organisation,” Ms Torode said.
Her winning thesis was titled ‘Victorian Government Teachers and Reasons for their AIF Officer Promotions during the Great War – A Prosopographical Study.’.
The grant will help her to purchase more books to further her studies and enable her to undertake archival research.
Ms Torode has been a teacher for 22 years, passing on her knowledge and love of history to her students.
“I just would love to be able to generate that same excitement that I have about World War I, or even military history, with my children,” she said.
“The grant itself is great to be recognized, but I also like to think that I’m able to bring something back for my kids.”
