Outdoor NewsJournal of the Outdoor Educators’ Association of South Australia

Volume 31 No 3, November 2013

OEASA sponsorsGold Silver Bronze

Abundant HealthFassina LiquorGriffin WinesLoan LogicPrince Alfred CollegeSnowy’s OutdoorsStep Outside FootwearVertical Reality Climbing

ContentsFrom the Editor 2

From the Chairman 3

Conference update 4

18th National Outdoor Education Conference 5

So you would like to Teach or Instruct Outdoor Education? 6

The pluses and minuses of using GPS navigation 7

XPD Flinders Ranges 2013 8

Sailability at Port Adelaide Sailing Club 9

Adventure Therapy around the World 10

Disaster Resilience Education 11

Staying upright 12

Thoughts of Steven Pinker 13

Fire emergency planning 14

A sign near Lake Littra explaining some of the ecology of vegetation in the area

Outdoor NewsPage 2Contents

The final issue of the year, as always with a variety of items. Biggest event on the calendar is the nationl con-

ference in April next year, and there are details on page 5.

How does one become an Outroor Educator? There’s a variety of approaches, described by Scott Polley on page 6. Not your average expedition was the event described by Dan Barry on page 8. Sounds like a way to hone your skills for teaching...

In the US, the NOAA Office of Coast Survey has an-nounced that it will no longer be supplying printed charts. Paper charts will still be available, but only through a print-on-demand system. NOAA will concen-trate on digital formats. The Australian Hydrographic Service <www.hydro.gov.au> still publishes paper charts, but if you go to the official supplier in Adelaide, Quin Marine, it will be a print-to-order job. Chart updates are published on the AHS site as PDFs.

What does this mean for navigators and map users in general? How do we best understand where we are and how to get from place to place: with a paper map or a digital device? On his blog, physicist Mano Singham recently looked at the question and linked to an in-depth study from the Smithsonian Institute. That’s too long for these pages, but you can read Singham’s item, which links to it, on page 7.

Sailability is a scheme to enable people with limited mo-bility and other problems to participate in sailing, using specially designed craft and other equipment. Several South Australian clubs offer Sailability, including the Port Adeaide Sailing Club, which supplied information for

The Outdoor Educators’ Association of South Australia

The Outdoor Educators’ Association of South Australia supports these national ethical guidelines for outdoor educators:

• The Outdoor Educator will fulfil his or her duty of care• The Outdoor Educator will provide a supportive and

appropriate learning environment• The Outdoor Educator will develop his or her

professionalism• The Outdoor Educator will ensure his or her practice is

culturally and environmentally sensitive

OEASA Committee 2013 – 2014

Chair: Mike MeredithAssistant Chairperson: Chris HodgsonTreasurer: Phil NobleAssistant Treasurer: Andrew StaceSecretary: Nick GloverAssistant Secretary: Bel EmanueleEditor and webmaster: Peter CarterCommittee: Scott Polley, Andrew Govan, Mick Dennis,

Brad Newton, Bianca Newton, David Edwards, Jo Barton, Chris Hodgson, Andrew Stace, Micha Jensen, Nathan Doble, Dave Walker, Meriden Jensen

Aims1 To promote the development of Outdoor Education in

South Australia

2 To represent Outdoor Educators on issues and matters concerning the use of the outdoors

3 To maintain the professional development of personnel working in the area of Outdoor Education

4 To maintain, support and develop the role of Outdoor Educators in South Australia

5 To promote the professional interchange of informa-tion between members and other related organisa-tions through conferences, meetings, seminars and publications

6 To promote a philosophy of environmental aware-ness, preservation, conservation and positive attitudes towards the use of the outdoor environment

7 To act in an advisory capacity to community, govern-ment and non-government agencies

this issue.

Similar, but different, is Paracanoe, run by Canoe SA in conjunction with Wheelchair Sports and the Australian Paralympic Committee.

From the Editor

Peter Carter

O E A S A

As well, Adelaide Canoe Club has run regular sessions, the Arrows program, for many years. Disability need not stop people going on the water.

The recent bushfires in NSW have focussed attention on how we cope with and recover from disaster. Disaster Resilience Education materials exist, as Red Cross Project Officer Heather Bailie reports on page 11.

One of the influential thinkers of our time is Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined, who spoke at a meeting in Chicago. His response to a question is worth noting, on page 13.

One of the problems in preparing this issue has been dealing with images embedded in Word files. There are devious means of extracting them from .docx files (which are actually ‘containers’ with a number of enclosed XML and other files) but the task is a pain and doesn’t work with the older .doc format. As I’ve written elsewhere, you should not embed images in Word files, ever. That’s prompted a brief set of submission guidelines, which are on page 10. At some stage I may prepare a full style guide.

November 2013 Page 3Contents

Greetings all and welcome to the final edition of Outdoor News for 2013. And what a busy year it has

been.

As normal, September brought about the Year 12 Self Reliants and some students again ventured up to the Chowilla region and undertook their journey through the backwaters. Whilst presenting a few challenges to navi-gation it was great to see the works developing replacing the weirs at Pipeclay and Slaney creeks and a number of ongoing projects at the lower end of Chowilla Creek to enable a more sustainable Chowilla region. The plans to build infrastructure that will enable partial flooding of the floodplains replicating ‘normal’ natural cycles was significant evidence of sustainable planning being put into practice. I must say that the Chowilla area is still looking a treat after several years of floods and good flows again this year.

The vast belts of lignum bush which had all but died off several years ago have grown back in many places and now continue to provide the protection and ground cover that offers diverse habitats for the many small birds and animals of the Chowilla region. The blue wren being one delightful creature that I noted with joy as they twittering between branches filling the air with joyful sounds that calmed the soul and gave immense pleasure as I watched and listened humbly to their playful dally. Many of the gum trees which a few years ago were almost ‘ghost’ gums devoid of foliage are now wonderful images of health in vibrant green that shimmers beneath the harsh rays of sun. It will take a few more years to get back to its pre-drought state but all being well with continued cycles of reasonable rains it may regenerate and develop the complex unstressed ecosystem that I recall from many years ago. The policy makers seem to be doing their part with a holistic plan being put into developing a sustain-able future for the region. Signage and explanations of the proposed and conducted work are encouraging.

I will wait patiently to see how it goes over the next, hopefully, many years. Whilst the inevitable droughts and floods will come and go we can only plan to minimise their nega-tive effects and ensure a sustainable environmental future for the Murray. Of course what goes on before the water gets there and after it leaves is another story and the other states need to get on board and make sure that we are not acting in isolation as a ‘whole length’ plan is needed led at the national level, indeed some of our best environmentalists and scientists are working on it and with the correct motivation their proposals are being implemented. If you get a chance it is well worth a paddle around the

From the Chairman

Mike MeredithRiverland at present it is beautiful.

The revised Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education: Foundation to Year 10 has completed its public viewing and is now at the writing stage before being released. As discussed the document represented a significant boost for the presence of Outdoor Education/Recreation in the curriculum and final writing should only strengthen this. It is expected to be released in December 2013. For details of the process and expected timelines etc visit the ACARA website <www.acara.edu.au/curriculum_1/learning_areas/hpe.html>.

The CEASA World Teachers Day Celebrations on Friday 25 October saw Grant Henwood presented with a certificate recognis-ing his excellent service to Outdoor Education by the The Hon Jennifer Rankine MP, Minister for Education. It was great to be there and see him receive the award based on his outstanding teaching over many years and his OEASA Service to Outdoor Education Award.

Outdoor Education week was run from 1 – 7 September. It was great to SA represented by a number of schools and organisations in this year’s event. The more people that get involved the higher the profile of Outdoor Education

Tree and lignum along Punkah Creek

Outdoor NewsPage 4Contents

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O E A S A

From the Chairman...continued

Bronze sponsors

Abundant Health

and ultimately the better for Outdoor Education in the future. So if you missed out this year get involved next year. Log on to <www.outdooreducationweek.com.au> and check out this year’s event.

The Great Aussie camp Out was held on Saturday 12 October got people outside and involved in camping and outdoor activities. There was no cost involved and it helps promote healthy and respectful use of outdoor places. If you missed out this year get involved next year and join in the fun. Log on and check it out at <www.greataussiecampout.org.au>.

Outdoors SA Presentations

OSA are hosting presentations on group facilitation, risk management and advanced/wilderness First Aid later this year. These will be advertised through email and on the OEA website so stay tuned.

18th National Outdoor Education Conference

Adelaide is host to the 18th National Outdoor Conference being held at Prince Alfred College 14 – 16 April 2014, ‘Outdoor Education. It’s in our nature’. Save the dates: we need as many people as possible to support the con-ference and make it a memorable event. Calls for present-ers, sponsors, trade displays and details for registration are on the ACHPER website: <www.achpersa.com.au/wb/pages/professional-learning/18th-national-outdoor-education-conference-2014.php>. Check it out and save it as a favourite.

Remember if you have any comments or ideas for upcoming events or activities please do not hesitate to contact either myself or one of your committee members. If you would like to help out in any way with the nation-al conference drop us a line; the more the merrier.

If we do not catch up before Christmas the committee wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy, prosper-ous and safe New Year. There is still plenty to do in the great outdoors so enjoy, stay safe and till next year. It is as always a pleasure to be of service. Yours in the great outdoors.

Calendar

What’s coming up soon...

Next issue deadlineEnd term 4, Friday 13 December for February 2014 edition.

Conference update

Scott Polley

A reminder to register your interest for the 18th National Outdoor Education Conference in Adelaide,

April 14 – 16 2014. The conference team have been busy with arrangements and it is promising to be a great week. The venue of Prince Alfred College is amazing and provides a lot of scope for what can be included.

Although there is a primary focus on implementing the National Curriculum (particular in the areas of HPE, Science, Geoography and cross-curricular priorities sustainability and Aboriginal perspectives), other areas such as Youth at Risk, Extended Stay, Risk Management, Adventure Based Learning, Leadership etc will be represented.

The presenter list is not yet finalised, but is looking good, with keynotes John Quay and Phil Weinstein in place. We have a good showing of presenters so far, including Janice Atkin from ACARA. If you have an interesting presentation the deadline to register in Nov 30.

The conference plans include plenty of pre-conference activities including Indigenous tours, kayaking with Dolphins, Outdoor Education Australia meetings, Kangaroo Island visits and more to come. Monday’s program is starting to solidify, with a casual BBQ at the end of the day’s proceedings. The Tuesday will include a site visit as well as a great conference dinner. Wednesday is looking pretty good too.

Bikes will be available for those requiring eco transport during the conference.

We have secured some initial sponsorship (comes with trade display space), but we have room for more. The support from business and community has been very good, and we are on track to meet our sponsorship aims.

This is a fantastic opportunity for South Australian Outdoor Educators to network and meet with others around the country, and be part of the movement to ensure that all Australians receive quality Outdoor Education as part of their schooling.

Check out the website at <www.achpersa.com.au/wb/pages/professional-learning/18th-national-outdoor-education-conference-2014.php>.

Only four months to go!

November 2013 Page 5Contents

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Ngai wangandi marni nabudni Kaurna yertaanna

First let me welcome you all to Kaurna country...

This conference presents a great opportunity to cel-ebrate your role as part of a diverse community of

Outdoor Education leaders, teachers, scholars, managers and directors from around the country to engage, share and be challenged.

By the time the conference proceeds most of the Australian National Curriculum will be written, and much of it already adopted or trialled. Outdoor Education Australia celebrates the opportunities that Geography, History, Science and especially the Health and Physical Education curriculum offers for F-10 Outdoor Education programs in this country. The confer-ence explores what it means to be Outdoor Educated, what is our place in society, what is our contribution to our communities, and how we can be part of solutions to the pressures faced by our citizens and planet?

The conference is brought to you by the Outdoor Educators’ Association of South Australia and Outdoor Education Australia. Any profits or losses from the con-ference are shared equally, with any profits being used to further develop Outdoor Education. The committee have worked hard to provide a professional, accessible and enjoyable conference celebrates your decision to take on the challenge of being an Outdoor Educator.

Full-time Registration (3 days) includes the following:Session and trade exhibition admissionDaily morning and afternoon teasLunchMembers and Early Bird (before Feb 14): $375Non-members of OEA $425After Feb 14: $475Full time students: Price on application.

Two Day Registration (2 days) includes the following:On the days of registration:Session and trade exhibition admissionDaily morning and afternoon teasLunchMembers and Early Bird (before Feb 14): $300Non-members of OEA $350After Feb 14: $400Full time students: Price on application.

One Day Registration (1 day) includes the following:On the day of registration:Session and trade exhibition admissionDaily morning and afternoon teasLunchFull registration for one day is $200. No early bird or

member discounts apply.

Outdoor Education. It’s in our Nature

18th National Outdoor Education Conference14–16 April 2014 | Prince Alfred College, Adelaide

What is this device? It’s 75 mm long, 22mm diameter. Answer is on page 13.

Mystery object

Data logging for climbersWith ClimbAX you can track, analyse and compare your climbing sessions, helping you really get the most from your training. The system is easy to use and comfortable. The results speak for themselves!

In simple terms, ClimbAX is an automatic performance tracking tool for climbers. The system consists of two wearable bands (one for each hand) and an online service. The online bit breaks your performance into four core skills: Power, Control, Stability and Speed. This allows you to break down your latest session into real performance terms as well as compare historical climbing session to track gains. Read more here: <www.climbax.co.uk>.

Outdoor NewsPage 6Contents

Pathway options in South AustraliaScott Polley

In South Australia there are several options to becoming an Outdoor Education Professional, with many of the

pathways potentially overlapping.

Outdoor Education/Outdoor Recreation Instructor

An Outdoor Education/Outdoor Recreation instructor is someone that has qualifications, skills and knowledge to lead and guide outdoor activities, but is not a qualified teacher. Typically they will work for a private organisa-tion, but may be directly employed by a school also. The employment opportunities and rate of pay are variable, but it is possible to make a reasonable living out of this role.

Option 1: Community Leadership CertificatesThrough doing courses such as Flatwater Kayaking Instructor or Guide (Canoe SA), Bushwalk Leader (Bushwalking Leadership South Australia), Rock-climbing Guide or Instructor (South Australian Rock-climbing Education Association), Sailing Instructor (Yachting SA), Snorkelling Instructor (Out There Underwater and others), and having at least senior first aid, police check and working with children clearance, instructional opportunities are available. Some private companies offer internal accreditation, such as high and/or low ropes instructor, cycle tour leader, etc. All of these courses require skills, knowledge and experience before obtaining final accreditation. This option would suit those that have experience with personal outdoor rec-reation, and perhaps experience assisting or instructing others in such a setting. In most cases, the pre-requisites are either minimal or skill related, so a strong academic background is not critical. All courses require a level of numeracy and literacy to write and interpret planning and OHS&W documentation.

Option 2: Regency Institute of TAFERegency Institute of TAFE offers a nationally recognised and respected two year Diploma in Outdoor Recreation. It includes an excellent base of knowledge in a range of outdoor pursuits, and specialisation in at least two areas to a more advanced level. Graduates of this program are well known for their skill and professionalism. The program includes extensive field and work experience under the guidance of some of the state’s best Outdoor Leadership trainers. Application is through SATAC, and places are strictly limited.

Option 3: University of South AustraliaUniversity of South Australia offer a six course study stream that is the foundation for Outdoor Education teaching, if combined with an Education qualification (more on this later). If undertaken as part of a non-educational degree such as Human Movement, Sport and Recreation Planning and Management, Psychology, Tourism and Hospitality, Aboriginal Education, Arts,

etc. graduates are not qualified to teach but may be employed as instructors. Although the pathway includes some basic accreditation and foundational field work, graduates typically will need to spend additional time developing skills and knowledge in the field. Application through all UniSA courses is through SATAC. Although Human Movement is the home degree with the highest ATAR score, those that are not likely to achieve this can still access the program through other degrees that have lower ATAR entry scores.

Option 4: Traineeships

Some schools and organisations have, from time to time, offered traineeships. Usually these positions are not ad-vertised and are filled from within.

Outdoor Education Teacher

Outdoor Education teachers have at a minimum a Diploma of Education, but most have a Bachelor or Masters of Teaching. This qualification is required to register as a teacher, and to assume responsibility for teaching students in an Outdoor Education class without supervision.

Option 1: Human Movement Degree plus Master of Teaching

At University of South Australia you can undertake a three year Human Movement Degree, and undertake a specialist study stream in Outdoor Education. This is mostly done in conjunction with a specialty in Health and Physical Education. Following successful completion of this degree, you then undertake a two year (or 18 month compressed) Master of Teaching program in Senior Secondary, Middle or Primary Education. It also possible to complete a Master of Teaching at Flinders University following completion of the Human Movement program. If you complete the full OE study stream of six courses you will be eligible on completion of the Master of Teaching to teach to Year 12 Outdoor Education, in ad-dition to Year 12 Health and Physical Education if you complete the study stream for this as well.

Alternative: Human Movement Degree plus Diploma of Teaching

Another option to completing the Master of teaching following completion of the Human Movement program is a Diploma of Teaching offered by Charles Darwin, Charles Sturt and Monash in external mode, or other in-stitutions such as LaTrobe in internal mode. The Diploma is one year or two years part time, so can be attractive to those that are working in the field. Although the Diploma still meets the minimum requirements for Teacher Registration, a Master of Teaching is a higher level of qualification.

The Human Movement program has a solid ATAR, and many potential OE teachers are unable to achieve the minimum requirements. There are many other options for entry, as well as other programs that might be considered.

So you would like to Teach or Instruct Outdoor Education?

November 2013 Page 7Contents

O E A S A

Other ways of entering Human Movement:

• Undertake a two year Diploma in Allied Health and then commence Year 2 of Human Movement

• Completing a Stat Test following a minimum 12 months break from schooling

• Completing a Diploma at TAFE (such as Outdoor Recreation) and applying for entry using TAFE grades

Option 3: Completion of other degree programs.

There are a number of other degree programs at University of South Australia that might be undertaken instead of Human Movement that can include a special-ist study pathway in Outdoor Education. This includes Sport and Recreation Planning and Management, Aboriginal Studies, Psychology, Arts, Tourism and Hospitality and others. Some programs can allow for a full six course study pathway and others only four.

Flinders University now offers a degree in Sport, Health and Physical Activity that students can complete one course in Outdoor Education. Students would need to complete further studies in Outdoor Education and com-plete the Master of Teaching in order to be able to register as a Teacher in Outdoor Education. Further studies in Outdoor Education are possible by cross-institutional study at University of South Australia.

Flinders University also offer a Bachelor of Tourism, with a nature-based tourism study stream. Although untested, this might form the basis for teaching Outdoor Education with a post graduate Master of Teaching, particularly if Outdoor Education courses were completed within the program.

Option 3: Bachelor of Education

University of South Australian offers a Bachelor of Education in Primary/Middle Education where you can undertake two study areas, one of which can be Outdoor Education. You are able to undertake four courses in Outdoor Education, enabling you to be recognised by DECD to teach OE to Year 10. Flinders University also

offers a Bachelor of Education and you can complete one course in Outdoor Education. Further studies in Outdoor Education can be completed by undertaking cross-institu-tional study at University of South Australia.

Option 4: Diploma of Outdoor Recreation and then University studies

As outlined previously, a Diploma from TAFE can be used to apply for University studies. Regency TAFE offer an outstanding Diploma of Outdoor Recreation and students can then complete a degree program, such as Human Movement, Business, Sport and Recreation Planning and Management, Tourism or other. Once in the degree program they can apply for credit, and this is a minimum of nine units up to 36 units at University of South Australia (36 units is one year of full time study).

Option 5: Complete a Bachelor of Education, and then complete post graduate studies in Outdoor Education.

This option applies to those already qualified teachers that would like to teach Outdoor Education, but have not completed studies in this area. Completing a Diploma of Outdoor Education at Bendigo (12 months full time or two years part time) is the most recognised pathway. However other options include undertaking a Diploma of Outdoor Recreation, undertaking community leadership courses such as Bushwalking Leadership and Flatwater Kayaking, or undertaking full fee courses at University of South Australia. The message to those who would like to be an Outdoor Education teacher is that although there are perhaps better, simpler or more efficient ways to achieve the necessary qualifications, there are always alternatives if you really want to get there. Further infor-mation on all courses and programs can be found on the respective institution web pages.

Mano Singham, Freethought Blogs

GPS navigation systems are undoubtedly helpful. But at the same time, having those devices and fol-

lowing the instructions obviates the need for having a mental image of where you are and where you want to go, the way that a paper map gives you. A study finds that as a result you may be less efficient at getting to your destination.

A study conducted in Tokyo found that pedestrians exploring a city with the help of a GPS device took longer to get places, made more errors, stopped more frequently and walked farther than those relying on paper maps. And in England, map sales dropped by 25 percent for at least one major printer between 2005 and 2011. Correlation doesn’t prove causation — but it’s interesting to note that the number of wilderness rescues increased by more than 50 percent over the same time period. This

could be partly because paper maps offer those who use them a grasp of geography and an understanding of their environment that most electronic devices don’t. In 2008, the president of the British Cartographic Society, Mary Spence, warned that travelers — especially drivers —reliant on electronic navigation gadgets were focusing mainly on reaching a destination without understanding quite how they got there. And Tom Harrison, a cartogra-pher in California, told me recently in an interview that he feels digital technology usually does a clean job of directing travelers where they want to go — but without quite showing them where they are.

See <freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2013/09/26/the-pluses-and-minuses-of-using-gps-navigation/> and <blogs.smithsonianmag.com/adventure/2012/12/have-gps-devices-taken-the-fun-out-of-navigation/>.

The pluses and minuses of using GPS navigation

Outdoor NewsPage 8Contents

As much an expedition as a raceDan Barry

In our mind, Adventure Racing conjures up images of ripped bodies, brilliant skills and a night-time blur of

pace and sport gels. In short, absolutely nothing like us. How we managed to find ourselves in the 2013 XPD Adventure Race then, remains the mystery of this story.

The XPD is an expedition based adventure race run by Geocentric Outdoors, <www.geocentricoutdoors.com.au>. The catch phrase of the race is ‘as much an expedi-tion as a race’ and delivers on this with an unsupported, 700 km race with disciplines in trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, ropes and more. The 2013 XPD was held in the Northern Flinders ranges in September, begin-ning in Arkaroola and finishing in Pt Augusta. With the race being held in our own back yard, we just had to have a go.

The team of Dan Barry, Dan Coletti, Ben Taylor and Tim Gill assembled in early January 2013 to begin the process of planning for the race: over a beer of course! After investing in the hefty entry fee we began the nine month process of buying and preparing equipment and train-ing. Our team name, Coulda Woulda Shoulda, is likely a reference to the amount of training we didn’t do!

On 1 September team Coulda Woulda Shoulda made their way to Port Augusta for registration, gear checks and preparation. As the race is unsupported, all of our equipment, food and spares (including bikes) had to be packed into five black tubs and four bike boxes. These boxes are moved by the event organisers to the transi-tion zones as you change from one activity to another. A feature of the race is the fact that the course is kept a secret until 24 hours before the race start. So, after finding out the course it was game on! We spent our final day before the race planning our route to meet all 50 check points and packing our boxes. After travel-ling to Arkaroola by coach, the race finally began on 4 September on a hill top at sunrise: 35 teams racing through the Australian outback towards Pt Augusta.

The weather was an unseasonal 40 degrees, making the first 29 km navigational leg a tough undertaking. After a quick meal we rode 48 km through the night to the edge of Lake Frome. From here a 51 km trek across Lake Frome. This was definitely the leg to remember! As there are no electronic navigational aids permitted in the race, to find the checkpoint 26 km away in the middle of the lake, we had no choice but to walk on a bearing with no reference points: just white ground and blue sky. It was a novelty for the first couple of hours but after that it became a mental ‘game’ for the next 14 hours. Once we got to the first check-point we took another bearing and walked another 25 km south to the end of Lake Frome (with several kilometres underwater). If you didn’t have blisters now...

After four hours sleep we pushed on through a blur of riding, walking and transitions; a 90 km bike leg across an outback station, a tough 36 km navigation leg through

the night and a stunning 68 km ride down the Mawson Trail into Wilpena Pound. Before starting our 23 km trek around the pound we had to make an important health and recovery stop at the Wilpena pub; a palmi, a coke and watching Port beat Collingwood! We made an im-portant strategic decision to take a few hours rest inside the pound to ensure the coffee shop was open on the way out...

A short 20 km ride to spectacular Moonarie prepared us for the stunning ropes course on the great wall. The TAFE Diploma students from the Outdoor Program at TAFESA were assisting the event organisers to build and run the ascending and descending challenge and did a great job in supporting four extremely tired and vague people safely up and down the wall! Once back at our mountain bikes we headed off to Hawker via the Chase Range. This section had a pass that we had to push our bikes for two kilometres up and then walk them down the other side as it was too rocky and steep. Hawker was a compulsory stop of six hours where we could rest up and get a hot meal.

It was good that we had a longer rest as the next leg was 155 km on the saddle (yep, it was getting really sore!) heading south along the Mawson trail. This brought us to Wilmington and a 51 km trek through Mt Remarkable National Park. We tried to go through the night as this was probably going to be our last night out, but we couldn’t do it! We were literally falling asleep on our feet! The rain came to the rescue though and forced us to keep moving...

After seven days we arrived in Melrose for our last leg. Here we heard that due to the strong winds over the gulf for the next few days the 87 km kayaking leg was taken out and the final leg was going to be a mountain bike leg of some 70 km. We as a team were quite happy with that news as we had not trained for the kayak leg! The smiles were short lived however as we settled our backsides on the saddle for the last time.

So at 3:25 pm on Tuesday afternoon we finished the adventure seven days after starting; 14th out of 35. Yes we were sore, our feet were suffering badly and it would not be appropriate to describe how our backsides felt in

XPD Flinders Ranges 2013

Team Coulda Woulda Shoulda

November 2013 Page 9Contents

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print. Given this was the first adventure race for anyone of us, we were very happy with our result; we finished and we all had a great time doing so. After a few beers we slept soundly for 12 hours and pondered the results; 16 hours sleep in seven days, $200 worth of energy gels, four palmis, three coffee stops, one puncture, 37 blisters and many, many unrepeatable conversions in the middle of the night...

We’re looking forward to the next one already.

(The next event will be in 2015. For details, see <www.xpd.com.au> –Ed).

XPD Flinders Ranges 2013...continued

Dennis Walter

What is Sailability?

Sailability International is an organisation facilitat-ing sailing for everyone, regardless of age or ability.

Sailability now operates in more than 350 clubs, in 15 countries. It is a volunteer-based ‘not for profit’ organisa-tion which, through the activity of sailing, enriches the lives of people with any type of disability, the elderly, the financially and socially disadvantaged. Sailability activi-ties cover a broad spectrum, ranging from recreation, therapeutic and competitive activities, from grass-roots entry level through to elite world championships and paralympic training.

Sailability originated in Great Britain in the 1980s, where more than 200 clubs now cater for 15,000 sailors. In 1991 Sailability was introduced to Australia and now 50 clubs in all states and territories cater for the social integra-tion of persons with a disability, based on their sailing programs.

Sailability at Port Adelaide Sailing Club

Four sailing clubs in South Australia conduct Sailability programs. Of these, the Port Adelaide Sailing Club has the largest fleet of sailing dinghies and also two specially designed yachts. The Port Adelaide Sailing Club is one of South Australia’s oldest yacht clubs having been founded in 1897, but was completely rebuilt recently, to fully meet disability access standards.

Sailability at Port Adelaide Sailing ClubThe Sailability program commenced at Port Adelaide in 1998 and now operates with nine Access 303 2-person dinghies, two Liberty single-handed dinghies, two yachts and four powerboats for on-water coaching and escort duties. The program on-shore and on-water is conducted by a skilled and experienced team of more than 30 volunteers.

Access 303 dinghies are the basic training boats used in Australia. They are sailed by two persons. At Port Adelaide Sailing Club, this means that an entry-level sailor is always accompanied by a qualified and experi-enced sailing instructor. The 303s are joy-stick controlled and both the jib and main-sail are roller furling. A 30 kg centre-board ensures that the dinghy has exceptional stability on the water.

Strict safety standards apply. All people on the water wear personal flotation devices (buoyancy vests, or PFDs) meeting the Australian standard. Powerboats always ac-company dinghies on the water.

The PASC Sailability program enjoys outstanding com-munity support. All sailing vessels and powerboats have been donated or funded by grants from local, state or federal government agencies, disability support organisa-tions or private benefactors.

PASC also has an enviable record for integrating persons with a disability into the full range of club activities, both administrative and social, in addition to recreational and competitive sailing.

A competitor at the 2009 State Championships is lowered into an Access 203 dinghy by electric hoist

Racing on the Port Adelaide River, the 2009 State Championships

Outdoor NewsPage 10Contents

Through the Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship program, Kylie Pointon (Manager of New Direction

at South Australia’s Operation Flinders Foundation) recently had the unique opportunity to gain a global perspective on Adventure Therapy. In particular, the use of Wilderness Adventure programs as a youth crime prevention tool.

The aim was to study overseas adventure therapy programs and crime prevention initiatives, focussing on three key areas: follow-up, family engagement and programs for younger participants, and indigenous perspectives and specific programs for Indigenous young people).

Kylie visited the Czech Republic (6th International Adventure Therapy Conference), The UK (Wilderness Foundation: My Big Adventure), Canada (Canadventure Education) and several places in the US, including Hawaii.

The benefit of visiting these programs was to learn about their strengths and challenges they have overcome. The information will assist in building best practice in all areas of what Operation Flinders can provide to the participants when they attend OF programs. Furthermore they will benefit by having a more rounded follow up program that can better support them after they have returned.

The findings can be shared with the South Australian network of Outdoor professionals at the National Outdoor Conference and other local conferences, and

Kylie is also happy to speak to individuals and interested groups. A full report on the findings of the study tour and how Australia can best develop the follow-up is available online at the Churchill Trust website.

For more information, call 8245 2603, email <kpointon@operationflinders.org> or visit <www.operationflinders.org> or <www.churchilltrust.com.au>.

Adventure Therapy around the World

A session in Hawaii

www.australianclimbingfestival.com.auwww.facebook.com/AustralianClimbingFestival

acf@australianclimbingfestival.com.au

Submission guidelinesContributions on any and all Outdoor Education and related matters are welcome in Outdoor News, and may be submitted directly to the editor at <pcarter@acslink.net.au>.

The first line of a file is to be the item’s title, the second, the author’s name (without ‘By’). Include captions for any accompanying images, with details of who, which, what, when, where, etc.

Text may be as text file (.txt), RTF (.rtf) or Word format. If your file is a Word .doc or .docx, or RTF, please use appropriate styles for headings, list items, etc. (See ‘Wordprocessing right and wrong’, ON Vol 28 No 3, October 2010, p 14.)

Photographs must be submitted as image files, JPEG or TIFF, and not embedded in Word files (ever). Line art may be submitted in TIFF, EPS or Illustrator format. Where there are several images they may be sent as a ZIP archive.

Advertisements from sponsors or other organisations must be submitted as PDFs. Half page advertisements may be one column or landscape. Payment, where appli-cable, must be made through the OEASA Treasurer.

November 2013 Page 11Contents

O E A S A

O E A S A

O E A S A

Heather Bailie

I write to alert Outdoor Educators’ Association SA to a newly published report about Disaster Resilience

Education materials and their place in the Australian Curriculum. The resources are applicable across learning areas and year levels.

Recent natural disasters such as the current NSW bush-fires, Tasmanian bushfires, Black Saturday bushfires, devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales, and a spate of tropical cyclones in Queensland have all highlighted the need for individuals and communities to be prepared for these events. The increased frequency and severity of these hazards means that government and emergency services agencies may not have the resources to provide immediate support to everyone affected by di-saster. It is crucial for communities, families and individ-uals to take responsibility for knowing how to respond in an emergency.

Research suggests that educating students in disaster re-silience is a key part of creating a culture of preparedness in the community as a whole.

With that in mind the Educating the Educators project, federally funded through National Emergency Management Projects, has undertaken a mapping exer-cise of existing Australian Disaster Resilience Education resources.

The curriculum mapping project involved reviewing a sample of 45 resources across both primary and second-ary levels. The resources were mapped against Australian Curriculum Learning Areas released prior to May 2013 (English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography), the General Capabilities, Cross-curriculum Priorities and other criteria such as stage of schooling, target audience and resource type. The first edition of the report is now

available from the National Curriculum button of the Australian Emergency Management Institute’s Schools website or directly at <schools.aemi.edu.au/content/national-curriculum>.

The 45 resources demonstrate the outstanding commit-ment of emergency services agencies across Australia to reducing risk and building student and teacher understanding and resilience in times of disaster. These resources reveal the concerted efforts agencies make to connect with student learning and show innovative ways of communicating and building awareness and under-standing of the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR) model. They are evidence of the impor-tance and value of education in child-centred disaster risk reduction (CCDRR) and the benefits of collaboration across agencies on a national scale.

The mapping report features a detailed summary of each resource which will enable teachers and teacher librar-ians to select, at a glance, the DRE resources that are most suited to the specific needs of their students and curriculum.

With the proposed publication of Health & Physical Education and Civics & Citizenship in December the report will be updated to include these learning areas and the new edition is expected to be available by the end of January 2014.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Heather Bailie, Project Officer: Educating the Educators — Emergency Services 155 Pelham St, Carlton Vic 3054 (03) 8354 4830, 0481 438 180, hbailie@redcross.org.au

Disaster Resilience Education

Bringing up childrenThe body + soul website has a number of interesting pages. There’s not much in the way of supporting evi-dence, and no detail on where the information comes from, but provides some food for thought at least!

<mums.bodyandsoul.com.au/pregnancy+parenting/parenting+tips/getting+back+to+nature,12143>

<mums.bodyandsoul.com.au/kids+health/health/get+your+kids+back+to+nature,8035>

<mums.bodyandsoul.com.au/pregnancy+parenting/parenting+tips/get+kids+to+explore+the+outdoors,15857>

<mums.bodyandsoul.com.au/kids+health/learning+development/outdoor+play+good+for+kids+wellbeing,15865>

<www.bodyandsoul.com.au/fitness/fitness+az/bushwalking,25065>

More on the Web...

How safe is OL?

Statistics at the English Outdoor Council site: <www.

englishoutdoorcouncil.org/outdoor-learning/

how-safe-is-outdoor-learning>

Let children fail

Success isn’t guaranteed, and shouldn’t be: <au.

news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/19508030/

let-your-kids-fail-says-expert>

For my next trick...

Two karabiners and a loop of rope: <blogs.scien-

tificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/09/26/

amazing-rope-trick>

Outdoor NewsPage 12Contents

Staying upright

Peter Carter

Once upon a time there was the ‘slap support’, which involved banging the paddle hard on the water in an

attempt to stay upright. Then came the realisation that the effort should be in the body, not the paddle, so we had the ‘low support’ and the ‘high support’. Trouble

OEASA Supporter levels

Gold: $1500+1 12 months OEASA membership2 Front page logo acknowledgement as Gold Supporter3 Half page advert in Outdoor News4 Verbal acknowledgement at all conferences, dinners

and meetings5 Visual acknowledgement at OEASA dinner6 Provision for banners, merchandise or other at OEASA

Dinner7 Complimentary catering for one member at all OEASA

functions

Silver: $750+1 12 Months OEASA membership2 Front page logo acknowledgement as Silver Supporte3 Visual acknowledgement at OEASA dinner

4 Verbal acknowledgement at all conferences, dinners and meetings

5 Provision for banners, merchandise or other at State Dinner

Bronze: $350+1 12 months OEASA membership2 Front page logo acknowledgement as Silver Supporter3 Visual acknowledgement at OEASA dinner4 Verbal acknowledgement at all conferences, dinners

and meetings5 Provision for banners, merchandise or other at State

Dinner

Green: $150+

Blue: <$150

O E A S A

was, the high support, paddle above the head, led to shoulder dislocations.

These days Australian Canoeing assessment materials for Sea Skills and Whitewater Skills call for support strokes using both blade faces. The real work is being done by body movement, not the paddle. See if you can spot the differences in the diagrams.

Keep this elbow close to body

Kick knee upKick knee up

Push foot downPush foot down

Head up lastHead up last

A regular newsletter from the Canoe SA Education and Safety Technical Committee is on the way. (Long-term Instructors will remember the printed Update from some years ago.)

Each issue will have a theme, and all Instructors, Guides and Lifeguards are invited to contribute:

November: Theme: Teaching (SACE) Kayaking to young people Closing date for submission of articles Wed 13 November Proposed Publication date Fri 15 Nov

Canoe SA Education and Safety QuarterlyFeb 2014: Theme: Risk Management in Adventure

Activities such as Kayaking Closing date for submission of articles Wed 19 Feb Proposed Publication date Fri 21 Feb 2014

May: Theme: Building programmes that go beyond the basics Closing date for submission of articles Wed 19 Feb Proposed Publication date Fri 21 May

August: Theme: A self development plan for Leadership (Instructor/Guide/Lifeguard) Closing date for submission of articles Wed 20 Aug Proposed Publication date Fri 22 Aug

Contributions should be sent to Ian Heard at Canoe SA: canoesa1@canoesa.asn.au

November 2013 Page 13Contents

O E A S A

   

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ilding.com.au  

 

Thoughts of Steven PinkerSteven Pinker recently spoke on his new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined, and the event was reported by Jerry Coyne on his blog website. A small part:

There was time for only three questions at the end, which is sad because Steve excels at Q&A. The first one was good: if violence has declined, why are we more worried about it these days? (Two examples are how parents won’t let their kids play outside anymore, and the universal fear of flying induced by terrorism.) His response was good: although vio-lence has declined, it’s broadcast more widely due to social media, and so we’re more aware of it. Too, the news doesn’t play up the decline in violence. As Steve said, “No reporter is shown standing in Belgium and saying, ‘Well, we haven’t had any wars here for 70 years.” Also, he argued, humans tend to be risk-averse, so that, when they are thinking about, say, their kids, they concentrate on the numerator in

the “violent incidents/all opportunities” fraction. When taking a car rather than a plane, they think about a plane crash that killed 300 people, but cars are far more dangerous; it’s just that no car crash kills 300 people.

I have to say that I am appalled at how closely parents monitor their kids these days. When I was a kid I’d just get on my bike and ride away from home for hours, or go long distances to play and meet friends. That doesn’t happen any more, and yet the incidence of violence to children, and kidnapping, is much lower now than when I was young. I would have greatly chafed at not being allowed to roam freely as a child.

Read the whole thing, including details of the menu, boots, etc. at <whyevolu-tionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/pah-tee-with-pinkah-and-a-new-symbol-of-secularism/>.

Mystery object: the answerThe device is a laser distress flare, a Greatland Rescue Laser Light™, which puts out a fan-shaped beam, bright red, with a claimed visibility of some 32 km. The battery is rated for 40 hours of use and the device is waterproof to 24 m. Unlike pyrotechnics, there’s no three year expiry.

Available at Whitworths for $150. Greatland’s site is at <www.greatlandlaser.com>.

There is always space in Outdoor

News for your contribution

Outdoor NewsPage 14Contents

Authentic Technical Outdoor gear Since 1973

macpac.com.au

Fire emergency planning

Liz Horne and Paul Colaguiri

A letter from attendees at the ORIC sponsored conference who have been recently affected by fire. Some excellent reminders on emergency prepara-tion/response that extends beyond the scope of fire emergencies. Have a read and share your thoughts.

Dear members and outdoor industry operators,

Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the current fires in NSW, especially those who may have been direct-ly affected by loss. Our thanks go out to the many men and women who are out fighting fires, supporting the re-located people and providing support to the community.

At the Asia Oceania Camping Conference held in Sydney this weekend we took the opportunity to gather opera-tors from NSW and Victoria who had been affected by the fires in 2009. Whilst the nature of the fires in NSW have not been as devastating as those that were con-nected with the Black Saturday fires, we are thankful for the open sharing of thoughts and learnings from those gathered. We believe the conversation has resulted in some great suggestions regarding immediate, mid and long term actions.

A resounding message from the Victorians was the im-portance of being collaborative and united as an industry at this time. So if you have a need for information; want to bounce a decision you are making off someone; would like access to another organisations fire plans please

contact ORIC and we will do what we can to link you with the information or a member that may be able to assist. Please know that the NSW and Victorians opera-tors in the room have extended their hand for help, and have showed their willingness for ORIC to connect them to those in need as necessary.

In the short term some of the key messages form the meeting were:

1. The importance of making good sound decision if you program/camp/trip should go ahead. The ability to walk a client through your decision based on your risk assessment tools will be invaluable as you discuss how you will keep your participants safe. Remember your local environmental conditions and fire plan may support the activity continuing, the area and environment the client is coming from may be very different. Where the client is a school remember the school administration will also need to consider their parent body and community perceptions. Put simply, the media coverage will heighten anxiety levels about activities in the bush, not only in those communities in the fire affected areas but the whole of NSW and indeed Australia.

2. Communication is a great tool at this time. The obvious one is with school/clients/customers in regards to your recommendations to help inform their decisions. Equally as important is to keep in contact with stake-holders such as State and National Parks, Councils, etc. These land managers will help inform decisions that

November 2013 Page 15Contents

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Chowilla Regulator

Pipeclay WeirSlaney Weir

Passage restricted until mid 2014

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until April 2014

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Exiting system to Customs House only feasible via the portage or Boat Creek. Note that Boat Creek is a free flowing creek so exit is against current and includes obstacles

Access via portage at 399 Mile marker

Suders Creek: Fast free flowing,access for experienced paddlers only

Boat Creek: access but lots of obstacles to be negotiated, including small chute under new bridge

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syou need to make and also let them know your move-ments in their areas. Make sure you communicate with your staff, how will they be affected. Equally as im-portant will be the people who provide you with your services.

3. Record accurate information at the time decisions are made that might affect your business and potentially lead to an insurance claim, for example road closure, evacuation notices, Health Department recommenda-tions, etc. Think about screen captures on your comput-ers, messages from RFS, photos of signs of road closure, saving text messages.

4. Take the opportunity to plan ahead and consider what the rest of the year looks like if the fires continue. Consider moving your group to another week this year, consider adjusting program venues or style or take the program to the school.

We hope that the above information is helpful to you at this time. Please do not hesitate to ask for help, this is a time to share our ideas and resources.

Yours in support,

Liz Horne and Paul Colaguiri

On behalf of the ORIC Board

Fire emergency planning...continued

RSVP to Andrew Winkler littoral@chariot.net.au

Outdoor Educators’ Association Of South AustraliaABN 26 588 063 701

Membership form

Membership subscription for period 28 Feb 2013 to 28 Feb 2014

Type of Membership: Renewal New member

Individual $70

Student $45 (with AJOE) $20 (without AJOE)

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Members in the organisational category have been sent a Tax Invoice to use. If you are a new member in this category please return this form without payment and a Tax Invoice will be sent to you.

Please make cheques and money orders payable to ‘Outdoor Educators’ Association of South Australia’.

Members will receive:

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Member details:School/Organisation/Corporation (if applicable)

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E-mail

Individual/student/family members: what is the school or organisation you are connected with?

Forward to:OEASA Treasurer

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0418 854 474 pnoble@staff.pac.edu.au