VOEA beginnings: a founding member reflects
Erik Westrup

[Published in the February 2003 edition of Journeys]

It probably all started in 1978 at the 1st National Outdoor Education Conference held at the (then) Melbourne State College's Noojee Outdoor Education Centre near Powelltown. It was a gathering of what was then a prominent list of outdoor educators from around the country, some of whom I knew but many I didn't. As a relative newcomer to the outdoor education field it was a great opportunity to network and reap all the usual benefits that a conference offers. It was also the beginning of an unofficial networking or association of outdoor educators across the country.

The conference discussed and debated the idea of forming an association but felt that it was too premature, especially at a national level. Instead it decided to produce a newsletter (Get Out...Doors), which would "act as a focal point and means of communication for outdoor educators throughout Australia". The task of editor went Tony Jago who was working as an outdoor education consultant at the Victorian Education Department's School Camps Branch (which later became the Outdoor Education Section).

There were two further national conferences held in Hobart and Queensland, both with the idea of continuing to get people together but only at a national level; none were held at a state level. There was continued discussion about forming an association but it was Tony Jago who finally initiated (through the Outdoor Education Section) a formal process with his convening of the first Victorian Outdoor Education Conference held at Marysville in September 1981.

The main agenda at this conference was to "test the market" and the thoughts of those attending the conference, as well as establish a range of objectives, with the view to forming a Victorian association. The Marysville conference therefore, was a significant milestone in the development of outdoor education, particularly at a Victorian level, but also nationally as it was the first outdoor education association to be formed in Australia. At the conference "outdoor educators got together, talked a lot about the future of outdoor education in Victoria and acted:  they resolved to form an association". The talk was lively and, as you would expect, there were quite strong differences of opinion, the main one being whether an association should be solely for teachers or be open to the wider outdoor community (which is what was eventually decided).

At the time I was the Association of Independent School's of Victoria's outdoor education representative in the Outdoor Education Section. I was also Tony's assistant at that conference and consequently became closely involved with the whole process. After the conference agreed to form an association and give a mandate for the process to begin, I happened to be at an informal gathering of those interested in being a part of a steering committee. Somehow my hand went up and I became one of the five members of the steering committee... (The committee) also included the convenor David Heale (State College of Victoria, Burwood), Tony Jago (Victorian Education Department Outdoor Education Section), Nan Champ (Camberwell High School) and Sue Hayes (Presbyterian Ladies College), with Barbara Lipscombe (Mt Beauty High School) and Michael Lambkin (Elwood High School) as the constitution sub-committee. In the next three months this committee had advertised widely in Victoria, drafted the constitution and planned the inaugural meeting, which was no mean feat. Credit also must go to John Ward (a councillor of Braemar College) who played a significant role in overseeing the work of the steering committee.

Over 250 people responded to the steering committee's advertisements of the inaugural meeting, stating that they were interested in being kept informed of the process. These comprised a fairly even spread of city, country, private and non-private school outdoor educators and, as David Heale stated, "important was the interest shown by non-school-based outdoor educators". Of the 250 responses, 106 were able to attend the very successful inaugural meeting, which was held at Braemar College, Woodend on December 6th, 1981.
The meeting was a mix of formalities and informalities, including discussion and acceptance of the draft constitution, election of council members and office bearers and an address by Elery Hamilton-Smith on the scarcity of the (natural) resource that outdoor educators use. A pleasant BBQ concluded the proceedings. For the record, the first council comprised: Tony Jago (president), Barbara Lipscombe (vice president), Nan Champ (secretary), Tess Hodgens (treasurer), Erik Westrup (newsletter editor), Don Alcock, Peter Beckman, David Heale, Laurie Morton, Rex Odgers, Jean Wells and Ian Whitford. The Victorian Outdoor Education Association was born.

In his first "presidential address," Tony Jago welcomed Victorian outdoor educators in the following way:
Greetings fellow outdoor educators. The new Victorian Outdoor Education Association seems to be the culmination of several years' discussion and identification of the needs of people involved in outdoor education... The Council and various sub-committees now need to translate those objectives into action. Hence the biggest question - what can or will the VOEA do for its members?  The Council is elected to do things on behalf of the members of the Association.  Its major task is to lobby for outdoor education, bring outdoor education into the positive limelight so people will say: "what a good thing this outdoor education is."
So what happened in the first year? After browsing through the first few newsletters the answer became quickly evident:  a lot! I speak with a certain amount of bias and a lot of pride. Apart from having been on the steering committee to form the Association, I also got involved in the first four years as newsletter editor, publication sub-committee convenor, conservation sub-committee convenor, conference planning committee member and even vice president! When I look back on the first year of the Association's operation, I was pleasantly reminded at how quickly the Council got in to action, sub-committees were formed, the membership grew and generally how the VOEA established itself in both the outdoor education and the wider community - it even hit the press just three weeks after it was formed.

I still laugh at a (Herald) newspaper article that came out on December 31st, 1981 with the heading "Trail to Adventure: Group Pushes for Bush Education in Schools." The reporter starts off by saying, "Hey, mums - what do you reckon about packing a knapsack, compass and canoe with the kid's text books and uniforms at the start of the new school year?" A little simplistic but at least the message was starting to get out. The reporter continues, "Adventure and Aussie-style outback know-how could be on the curriculum of schools in Victoria soon, if a lively new lobby group has its way. The Government is to be urged to make Outdoor Education an integral part of teaching throughout the state". Twenty-two years later the VOEA has done just that - it has come along way in that time.

Back to 1982: the first year of operation. The immediate task was to establish communication with the membership in the form of a newsletter. The newly formed publications sub-committee (myself, Don Alcock and Peter Beckman) produced and distributed the VOEA's first (18 page) newsletter within three weeks and thereafter on a quarterly basis, averaging 36 pages at a time. We even made money through advertising, which we got a lot of. It was hard but very satisfying work and the meaning of teamwork was very evident. It was also exciting to be a part of an historic event: the establishment of the first outdoor education association in Australia.

Also in that first year, a number of other sub-committees were formed including: policy development; accreditation and certification; outdoor education as a Victorian Institute of Secondary Education Group 2 subject; curriculum development; finance; and reviewing the role and status of non-teachers. Early communication was also established with the Education Department. Much of this early work and effort has over the years, come into fruition and current members and outdoor educators are now the beneficiaries.
The VOEA had an initial strong membership base of 130, which grew to about 200 at the end of the first year. It also established an employment service, an excursion register, organised four regional meetings with guest speakers (including Bob Brown), made submissions on general issues relating to outdoor education, made representations to the Education Department on teacher related issues, started selling books and conducted an evening in-service workshop. It was even thinking ahead about the need for office space and an executive officer. Not bad for its first year of operation!

None of this would have been possible without the driving force of its first president, Tony Jago. The VOEA was his "baby" if you like and he was going to make sure that it was going to get off to a flying start (as indeed it did). But no man (or woman) is an island and he couldn't do it on his own. He had tremendous support from a committed group of the Council members, every one of whom took on specific tasks or roles with enthusiasm, commitment and dedication. The Council members were an experienced bunch of people and representative of the diverse nature of outdoor education at the time.  They included teachers, lecturers, camp employees and outdoor education advisors, a principal and commercial operator, a Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme coordinator and a teacher at a specialist school. All their time was voluntary (as is still largely the case now) and there was a real sense of community and purpose. There was also the feeling that they were part of a unique experience and occasion:  the creation of the Association.

By the end of its first year of operation, the VOEA was well established and there were only two ways to grow: bigger and better, which it did.

...

By the end of its third year of operation the Association was firmly established and the state of outdoor education and the significance of the Association at that time is best summed up by an editorial comment in the Outdoor Educator (Volume 3, No. 3, Spring 1984). “So outdoor education is definitely alive and kicking, and certainly its future as a viable curriculum area looks encouraging. This is due largely to the continued and dedicated efforts of outdoor educators and also the role of the Association, which will become increasingly more important and significant as the emerging curriculum area of outdoor education develops”.
As they say, the rest is history.

Erik Westrup was a member of VOEA’s steering committee (1981) and Council (1982–5). Erik also edited VOEA publications.

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