Since his first SRE role in 1971 at Glen Innes, Pastor Bob has dedicated much of his life to school students through an introduction to the role of religion in society.

And nearly 50 years on, his passion for teaching scripture is as strong as ever.

"I love teaching children, and the focus has always been to present scripture in such a way that every student understands the meaning behind each story in the Bible," Pastor Bob said.

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"The role has certainly changed over the years, as you understandably require more training to work with children, but it's worth it in order to provide a safe and constructive environment for students to learn."

Over the years, Pastor Bob has taught scripture at Eglinton Public School, Bathurst Public School, West Bathurst Public School, Kelso Public School, and Kelso High School.

He was also the Pastor of the Bathurst Baptist Church from 1977 to 1990, before moving to Sydney for 17 years.

Since returning to Bathurst in 2007, Pastor Bob has entered semi-retirement, but still teaches scripture at West Bathurst, highlighting his continued dedication to the role.

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"It's a wonderful opportunity to communicate with locals, and it's always a joy to see students and their regular teacher get actively involved in lessons," he said.

"In the 50 years I've been in this role, I've never received a complaint from a parent, and I find the teachers are always supportive of scripture lessons."

With such a prolific history in the role, Pastor Bob can recall a multitude of stories regarding students he has taught over the years.

"There was this moment in the middle of a really dramatic story where I prompted students to write a little note [about 30 words or more] about how they interpret the story, and a couple of girls simply wrote 'can we please have a Bible'," he said.

"I think I've given away around 300 Bibles over the years, and students often call me 'Pasta' Bob, which never fails to generate a few laughs, and I simply run with it."

Pastor Bob said its essential for a scripture teacher to display a genuine love for working with children as well as a passion for sharing words of faith for a diverse array of audiences.

"You have to be an engaging communicator, if the lesson is dull, kids will switch off," he said.

"To use David and Goliath as an example, rather than express it as a simple means to put your faith in God, apply the story in a broader sense to stress how there's overwhelming moments we all face in life but through perseverance, there is always hope."

"Everyone loves a meaningful story, children and adults alike."

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Pastor Bob was named a Bathurst Living Legend as part of the original 200 inductees in 2015, Bathurst's bicentenary year.

He said the biggest joy he draws from the role is the positive feedback from students at the end of a lesson.

"A Year 2 student came to me after a lesson once and said to me 'Pastor Bob, I love scripture, it's the best lesson of the week;' those sort of responses are what keep me going," Pastor Bob said.

"We're always looking for new people who want to become scripture teachers, as the moment will come one day where me and some of my colleagues will get too old for it."

"It's not purely about teaching religion, it's about being a positive role model for children as they navigate through their years of schooling."

"Communicating God's word and truths to children has been the greatest passion of my life, and it's a role I hope to continue for as long as I can."