Mr Goldsmith and his wife Melissa will swap seas of grain for the actual sea by moving to their favourite holiday spot in far north Queensland.

The head of the campus reflected on his time with Longerenong College, which began in 1991 when he completed a four year Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the college.

He remembered going to an open day at the college and being impressed by its tight-knit "family" culture.

"I got to year 12 and I didn't really know what to do. My parents suggested that we go to Longy open day," he said.

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"I remember on the way home in the car my parents asked me, 'What did you think of that?' and I said that's it, that is where I am going. I just fell in love with the place.

"It was just the feeling. The teachers at the time, the students that were here. It was just the vibe; you just get that almost family or community feel.

"That has been part of our DNA the whole way through. We are relatively small in number compared to universities, but that's what makes us so special I suppose."

After a stint working in the poultry industry, Mr Goldsmith completed a Diploma of Education and started working as a lecturer at the college.

During his tenure, Longerenong College saw some hard times.

In 1996, ownership of the college passed from the Victorian Department of Horticulture and Agriculture to Melbourne University, alongside other agricultural colleges around the state.

Eventually, in 2005 Melbourne University gave up ownership of the college - a decision that many thought would be the end for the college.

"At the time I thought I was going to have to look for a job, we are finished here," he said.

"It was hard going; we had low student numbers, the perception in the broader community across Victoria was that a lot of people thought we were closed.

"Because of the negative publicity when we left Melbourne University, a lot of people thought we shut the doors."

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Mr Goldsmith served as vice-principal when Skillinvest, known then as WorkCo, put forward a bid to manage the college.

"It took a long time to turn things around. We put on a business development officer, Donna Winfield came on board, our staff stuck to their guns. As a team we slowly but surely turned the ship around," he said.

During his time, Mr Goldsmith has observed many changes to education and the agriculture industry.

He said the college had a five to one ratio of men to women in his student days, with the school now proudly boasting a 50:50 ratio in 2021.

"Agriculture has changed so much. The reality is now, in agriculture you need to be business savvy, you need to be tech savvy," he said.

"The days of just sitting on a tractor and cultivating soil, they are well and truly gone. It is a completely different environment."

Mr Goldsmith has left the college in good stead, with enrolment numbers at an all-time high. He said he has finally reached a place of fulfilment in his career, having ticked "all of the boxes".

"I really enjoy the involvement with the students, teaching them things," he said.

"My whole career, I have loved being part of shaping the career paths of the students who come to Longy.

"We are just one part of the whole puzzle, I get that, but you feel really good seeing some of the career paths our graduates have taken."

After 30 years at Longerenong College, Mr Goldsmith said he and his wife are ready for a sea change.

"My wife and I are at a stage of life where we can make the choice. Our two kids are in their early 20s," he said.

"They have their own lives now; they both work and don't need mum and dad now. We are in that window where there are no blockers. There is no reason why we can't move to Queensland.

"We both love hot weather. And we will get that in far north Queensland."

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