Did you know that Belgravia is more than just leisure? Belgravia Group is a dynamic, family-owned business founded by Geoff Lord across industries such as health and fitness, tourism, property, finance and more across Australia and New Zealand.

While Belgravia Leisure is where many of us make our mark in our communities, our group is bursting with many incredible business units you might not know of…yet!

That’s why we’re on a mission to introduce you to the amazing leaders behind them, starting with Richard Thornton, the adventure-driven CEO of Belgravia Outdoor Education (BOE). 

Richard’s outdoor education journey began over thirty years ago in the English Lake District. Richard says, “I led overseas expeditions, mostly in Africa. I later moved into working with young people with challenging behaviours, helping them reengage in education or employment. I then worked as Deputy Director for The Prince’s Trust (now King’s Trust) and managed their outdoor centres across the UK and a 30m Tall Ship”.

This passion for the outdoors as a development tool eventually led Richard to Australia, where he now heads BOE.

Richard’s mission? To get kids out of their comfort zones and into the wild. This means getting them moving and active, building up their confidence and teamwork skills and of course, creating lifelong memories along the way.

For those unfamiliar with BOE, Richard explains, “Belgravia Outdoor Education fits neatly into the broader Belgravia Group, especially our ‘one million kids initiative’. We really believe in the power of the outdoors to help students develop skills and new abilities, and most importantly, grow their confidence and resilience. These experiences can be life-changing for young people.

“Belgravia Group’s ‘one million kids initiative’, aims to get a million kids active and involved in life-changing recreational and educational programs across Australia and New Zealand each year. We see outdoor education as a key component of this goal, offering students the opportunity to challenge themselves and develop skills that will benefit them throughout their lives,” Richard says.

BOE’s programs range from multi-day adventures to residential camps, all designed to help students develop essential life skills.

“Our programs fall into two main areas: Journeys and Residential Camps. Journeys usually last five to seven days, where students camp each night and engage in bushwalking, canoeing, rafting or biking during the day. These experiences foster self-sufficiency and teamwork.

“Residential Camps last two to five days and offer a range of activities like canoeing, paddleboarding and archery, all while based in a camp with beds, bathrooms and prepared meals,” Richard explained.

BOE operates Briars Outdoor Education Camp at Mount Martha, featuring 92 beds, a full kitchen, dining room and recreation room. Typically filled with students during the school week, it’s also available for catered or self-catered groups when not in use. “From elite sports teams to quilters, we’ve hosted a wide variety of groups. We offer team-building activities, meeting facilities and catering for companies. We encourage other Belgravia entities to make use of these excellent facilities,” Richard says.

Exciting developments are on the horizon for BOE, including taking on the lease of Mount Buffalo Chalet in 2025.

Richard says, “The Mount Buffalo plateau is one of the most unique environments in Australia in which to deliver outdoor education. It has climbing, abseiling, canoeing, rock scrambles and caving. Plus, you can bushwalk and remote camp for three days and you are unlikely to meet another person—just stunning views and amazing wildlife.

“The Chalet will be a centre for our outdoor education programs, branded as The National Mountain Centre, and will operate outside of school days as an Alpine Resort, accommodating groups and individuals, with a public café.”

Richard’s proudest moment so far? Running pilot programs at Mount Buffalo, where 120 students and teachers couldn’t stop raving about the caving experience. As he puts it, “The programs received very positive feedback and met the outcomes of the school. For the first time, this program included caving. This is a great team and communications activity that most students have never done before. It was probably the most successful activity on this program, everyone was raving about the experience afterwards”.

Stay tuned as we spotlight more of our incredible leaders and help you discover the heart of the Belgravia Group!

• Explore our career opportunities.
• Learn more about our people.