New Years Honours

Updated January 2021

Lovely news today that former GA President Margaret Roberts has been awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours List.

Here she is working with teachers in Singapore in 2016.

The citation mentions the GA:

Margaret Grace Roberts. 

External Examiner and President, Institute of Education and Geographical Association. 

For services to Education. 

(Sheffield, South Yorkshire)

Margaret was GA President in 2008.

Other GA Presidents to gain awards or honours:

Richard Daugherty, OBE

Eleanor Rawling, MBE

Denys Brunsden, OBE

Rex Walford, OBE

Frank Debenham, OBE

Harry Thorpe, OBE

J R James, OBE

Osbert John Radcliffe Howarth, OBE

Leonard Brooks, OBE

Kenneth Charles Edwards, CBE

John Allan Patmore, CBE

Michael John Wise, CBE

J A Steers, CBE

Sydney William Wooldridge, CBE

Robert Steel, CBE (awarded in 1983 - thanks to Elizabeth Steel for details)

Sir Halford J Mackinder

John Linton Myres, OBE (later Sir...)

Sir Charles Prestwood Lucas

Sir Richard Arman Gregory (first Baronet)

Sir Harry Alexander Fanshawe Lindsay, CBE

Sir William Mitchell Ramsay

Sir Patrick Abercrombie

Sir Alexander Morris Carr-Saunders

Colonel Sir Henry G Lyons

Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich

Sir John Russell

Sir Charles Close

Sir William Leslie Mackenzie

Sir Cyril Norwood

Sir Thomas Henry Holland

Sir Laurence Dudley Stamp, CBE

Sir Josiah Stamp (later Lord Stamp)

Lord James Scorgie-Meston

Lord Nathan

Lord Robert Cecil - also a Nobel Prize winner

William George Arthur Ormsby Gore (later Lord Harlech)

Also good to hear that Professor Mark Brandon from the Open University has also been awarded an MBE for his work in Polar science.

He has helped support the geography teacher community in different ways over the years through his work.

A lovely quote from Margaret on the GA website.

“I was very surprised to receive the award and felt very honoured, particularly when there are so many people in geographical education who have worked so hard to promote good practice. I would not have been able achieve what I have done without the support of the community of the Geographical Association. Through the GA I have met and shared ideas with so many inspirational people. The GA has given me opportunities to publish my ideas and those publications have led to further opportunities to present work at conferences and to work internationally. I feel most fortunate to have had this support but feel a bit parasitic, feeding off the ideas of others and incorporating them into my own thinking.”

For those wishing to incorporate some of Margaret’s inspirational ideas into their own thinking, a good place to start would be:

Geography Through Enquiry (2013)

Or listen to Margaret talk about her life and career in education on GeogPod.

Geoff Dinkele

Geoff Dinkele was associated with the Worldwise Quiz for many years and supported the GA in several other ways as well.

He wrote quite a few books which were popular, and sold well. "Population Geography" published in 1980 was among his books.

He also co-wrote an article in 'Classroom Geographer' journal with another former President: Steve Rawlinson on the use of lego to make population pyramids.

Geoff also contributed a number of articles to 'Teaching Geography', such as this one from 1983 which explored a TV programme made by David Bellamy.

References

Storm, Michael. “The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 73, no. 3, 1988, pp. 268–271. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571429. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Dinkele, Geoff. “Bellamy in Tasmania - Quicker off the Mark next Time?” Teaching Geography, vol. 9, no. 1, 1983, pp. 37–39. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23751069. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.

Other memories of Geoff's association with the GA welcome...

Rob Lodge

Every six months or so, I spot a C3 Picasso and the tall figure of Rob Lodge in Morrison's car park in Fakenham and have a chat. He lives in a neighbouring village of mine. He has been involved with geography in Norfolk for well over 30 years in various ways and has helped so many fellow teachers during that time. He is known by many, including Kit Rackley as "Rob Ledge"...

Rob Lodge was the advisory teacher for Geography for Norfolk when I first started teaching. He ran CPD sessions and was also involved in the National Strategies when they were first introduced. We had regular meetings at the PDC on the edge of Norwich and this was where I first started presenting to other colleagues - some short inputs, one on blogging, one on using Excel to make 3D landscapes. He was also leading a session on the internet which was actually the first time I ever went on the internet... I go on it quite a bit now.

He has also had the pleasure (I think) of observing me teach several times when I was teaching in King's Lynn and his brief was supporting certain departments within the school.

He has also worked as Head of Humanities at Hamond's High School: a school I have visited several times over the years as well, and contributed support materials to the GA's 'a different view' manifesto (of which more to come in due course)

Rob Lodge was also the co-chair of the GA's SPC when I joined, along with Alan Kinder from memory, or possibly Gary Dawson, or possibly Sarah Watts.

He involved me in the SPC from around 2004, and I remember in the first meeting listening to discussions which were going well over my head, and also the train journeys to and from Norfolk, where I talked about my possible further involvement with the GA. He was also a referee when I went for a job with the GA in 2008 which I was successful in getting. I will always be grateful to him for that.

He was also behind my first time presenting at the GA Conference in 2005 - although he was on holiday at the time!

The presentation can be viewed here still.

I remember that Fred Martin was last up - we over ran but by the time Fred started talking we were already nearly at our time limit - we still blamed him for the overrun :) Looking at it now, I can see quite a few of my ideas in there - the 'Have I got News for You' animations, and the use of Only Fools and Horses... quality still, plus GeoBlogs getting an early mention, This is your Life Old Harry, and some other classics...

He later had to widen his brief into the Humanities and school improvement, and also changes to the advisory service generally before it disappeared eventually.

He was also involved with events held at Gressenhall Rural Museum that I attended and presented at, and also an event in association with Norwich Castle museum. He has written a few articles with Colly Mudie from Gressenhall as well.

He organised a CPD session where I first met Jason Sawle and saw ESRI's Digital Worlds product - I later worked with ESRI and Jason for several years on various projects.

In 2009, I was in Dereham at an event that Rob had organised

http://livinggeography.blogspot.com/2009/03/norfolk-gis-links.html

He was/is a trustee of CPRE Norfolk, and is also a governor of the local Fakenham Academy.

He also got me involved in a conference at Holt Hall, along with Anne Marie Emmett, who has widened her links with the GA since, in 2012. I remember that event well. The venue is currently threatened with closure to save funds.

https://csapps.norfolk.gov.uk/csshared/ecourier2/fileoutput.asp?id=12062

References

https://csapps.norfolk.gov.uk/csshared/ecourier2/fileoutput.asp?id=15121 - CPRE involvement mentioned here.

Mudie, Colly, and Rob Lodge. “New Ideas in Norfolk Museums.” Teaching Geography, vol. 32, no. 3, 2007, pp. 127–128. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44633497. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

Dawson, Gary, and Rob Lodge. “Campaigning for Geography.” Teaching Geography, vol. 28, no. 1, 2003, pp. 36–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23756451. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

https://www.geography.org.uk/Our-Wonderful-World

Image: CPRE event in 2018 - an awards event in the Hostry at Norwich Cathedral

Postscript

At the meetings of Norfolk geography teachers, Rob handed out Norfolk Geogers awards, and I am the proud owner of a Norfolk Geogers shield, handed out in 2006 when I was still teaching in King's Lynn, and before I started my GA journey.

Hello to all those teachers from past meetings, such as Graham Ridsdale, Terry Mansfield, Ben Utting, Kit Rackley, Kirsten Remer, Gordon Stone, Chris Clarke, Peter Coote, Helen Carty and many others from these events...

I'm not the only one to have a Norfolk Geogers award either...

I still have my Norfolk Geoggers medal proudly on display at home. The man is a legend.

— Alan Kinder (@GAChiefExec) December 23, 2020

1993: Centenary Folder

Sent to me by Sheila Jones as part of a package of material earlier in the year.

This was a design used during 1993 for the folders containing the documents for the year. There have been quite a few designs of these folders over the years, and many of them disappear into people's homes, and then the bin.

Always happy to feature ephemera such as this on the blog if people find them...

Merry Christmas

Best wishes to all those who are associated with the GA in any way.

Thanks to all those who have read any of the posts on the blog so far....

Happy holidays to all those who work at 160 Solly Street. Solly Street is now closed until the 4th of January for a well-earned Christmas break.

Thanks as always to all those who serve on GA Committees and SIGs and work to support the GA Branches and other activity.

Merry Christmas to fellow Trustees.

And finally, thanks to all those former GA Presidents who have helped in any way with the creation of this blog so far, and with the draft posts which are waiting to appear through 2021.

Image: Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license - Snow in Sheffield, January 2010, and my car in the Solly Street Car Park - it has all changed now....

This blog will be back in 2021, with the next President: 1994: Professor Tony Binns to kick us off...

Fiona Hallworth

Fiona Hallworth was the Publicity Officer in the late 1980s - from 1985-1988. She was part of the staff at Fulwood Road in Sheffield. It would be great to find out more about colleagues from this period, and what it was like to work in Solly Street.

References

Humphrys, Graham, et al. “Annual Report of The Geographical Association 1987.” Geography, vol. 73, no. 2, 1988, pp. 162–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571395. Accessed 14 Nov. 2020.

Storm, Michael, et al. “Annual Report of The Geographical Association 1988.” Geography, vol. 74, no. 2, 1989, pp. 173–183. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571611. Accessed 14 Nov. 2020.

If anyone knows anything more about Fiona Hallworth, please get in touch.

Richard Gill

Updated January 2021

Richard Gill retired at the end of  December 2020 as the GA's Business Manager. 

For as long as I have been involved with the GA, Richard has been working at Solly St. He has supported the Association in developing systems which have allowed the GA to weather the Covid storm far better than many other similar charities and businesses have.

The GA has always needed people with some business acumen to keep a steady hand on finances and cashflow. People like Alice Garnett were very good at keeping down costs and negotiating favourable terms for rent etc. for the Association and showing financial prudence.

When I worked for the GA, I regularly sought Richard's advice as his knowledge of the Association went far beyond the financial aspects of his job. He has what Bob Digby described as 'nous', and knows the GA inside out, and always offers sage advice.

Covid-19 delayed Richard's retirement, but also provided a final 'test' for the systems that he had put in place over the previous years. He kindly offered to stay on to help his successor settle in, for which the Trustees have been particularly grateful.

Wishing Richard a long and healthy retirement.

1993: Professor Andrew Shaw Goudie

Last updated August 2023

What other subject tells us so much about the great issues of our age – global change, natural and human?

Professor Andrew Goudie, University of Oxford.

Andrew Goudie is a geomorphologist, and a leading expert on drylands.

He has published a vast range of books, articles and other papers, and received numerous awards for his work. Andrew sent me a CV which included almost 30 pages worth of links to papers and other publications and contributions over the years.
I have been lucky enough to hear Andrew speak several times, and was on the same 'bill' as Andrew at an Oxford GA Branch conference some years ago. The most recent event we both attended was a 75th anniversary event for the Field Studies Council at the Linnean Society in London, where Andrew gave a presentation which referenced several former GA Presidents.

Much of this entry was made up of contributions from Andrew himself thanks to a questionnaire I sent round to all the GA Presidents I could.


Image: Andrew Goudie supplied - copyright rests with Andrew Goudie

I am grateful to Andrew for sending through a number of documents to help me with the creation of the blog, including images of Presidents I was having difficulty tracking down who have already been featured - I also found some additional images from other contemporary Presidents as the blog has reached nearer to the present day.

I also mentioned him to William Atkins, author of the amazing book on the deserts that he wrote a couple of years ago.

Thank you! I'm so pleased to hear that. I turned to Andrew Goudie's books constantly while writing it.

— William Atkins (@WillAtkins01) August 3, 2018

Andrew also got a mention from a later GA President Keith Grimwade, who went to Jesus College, Oxford. 

He told me: 

"the mid to late 70s was also an exciting time to be an Oxford geographer because having lost out to Cambridge and elsewhere in the quantitative revolution, it was just beginning to pull ahead with its work on the environment and climate, led by someone else who was to become a GA President, Andrew Goudie". 

Andrew also hosted the GA's Centenary celebrations as he was the President of the GA during the Centenary celebrations. I have already shared some of the images that were sent to me by Sheila Jones, who was at the event and passed through some excellent resources, including some photos of the celebration and futher details. They will be posted around the time of this post, so visit the blog to see more.

Andrew was born in 1945 in Cheltenham.

He was educated at Dean Close School (Cheltenham) and went on to Trinity Hall (Cambridge) to study geography (of course).

Qualifications:

B.A. Cambridge (1967) 

M.A. Cambridge (1971) 

M.A. Oxford (1971) 

Ph.D. Cambridge (1972) 

DSc. Oxford (2002)

These also included the highest grades, and distinctions.

Throughout his entire career he has worked as an Oxford academic, and is also the author of many books and papers on a range of topics, notably deserts, drylands and geomorphology.

He has held posts in a number of Oxford colleges including Master of St. Cross College and also Pro-Vice Chancellor. He has held visiting Professorships and posts in a number of other organisations as well. 

He was the first professional geographer to lead an Oxford college.

As with other former GA Presidents, he has a connection with the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford.

He has advised numerous committees and other organisations as well.

He has been awarded a great many prestigious awards within the discipline of geography - these include:

• Cuthbert Peek Award of the Royal Geographical Society (1975) 
• Publications Award of the Geographical Society of Chicago (1983) 
• Founder’s Royal Medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1991) 
• Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (1991) 
• Gold Medal, Charles University, Prague (1998) 
• Prix de l’Académie Royale de Belgique (2002)
• Linton Award of the British Society for Geomorphology (2009) - named after another former GA President David Leslie Linton.

In many ways, Andrew also has a close connection with many of the GA Presidents of the 1930s-60s in that he has been involved in a great deal of advisory work at the very highest level, which have connected him with many learned societies in addition to the GA, and international bodies as well.

These have included:

British Academy, BGRG, RGS-IBG, Royal Society.

He was also involved in the Action Plan for Geography.

Outside of the academic world, he is also involved in CPRE and a Trustee of the Jurassic Coast Trust - both of which connect him to the work of other former GA Presidents of course, particulary Denys Brunsden.

He has had Editorial roles on a number of publications, and spoken at events around the world. He was linked with this 2018 BBC World Service broadcast.

Andrew has also led expeditions to places such as the Karakoram, Kenya and Australia. I am sure I remember seeing him and/or Denys Brunsden speaking about it at Sheffield University as a 6th former.

When he became the GA President, Andrew was a high profile academic and Professor of Geography at Oxford University - the university associated with the GA's founding a century earlier of course.

Andrew told me:

"I was charged with helping with the Centenary celebrations. 

I have given huge numbers of lectures to GA branches over the years. 

I established, with Denys Brunsden, the Classic Landforms series. "

These books have been best sellers from the GA Shop for some decades and are still available to purchase even now. Here's the Dark Peak volume, which I used myself when teaching, along with the White Peak volume, and the one on the North Norfolk coast. They are many people's first experience of GA publications and activity and will be found on the shelves of many geography departments around the country I am sure.

Andrew had written numerous articles for GA journals, particularly 'Teaching Geography' where he has tried to educate teachers in the correct approach to teaching about drylands.

Andrew said:

"I have always been a Geographer and have always believed that the state of geography in universities depends on attracting good sixth formers to become undergraduates."

This was an important factor in the decision to write my book 'Why Study Geography', which came out in October 2020.

Andrew's Presidential Lecture was called 'The Nature of Physical Geography: A View from the Drylands".

In it, Andrew talked about his career, and the importance of these often overlooked parts of the world, and some of the scholars who had come before and to whom he was indebted - a common theme for many Presidents.

Of landscapes, he said they are:

"one of the greatest gifts to human kind. Let us study them and therefore enjoy them and let us expose our students to great landscapes whether in Britain or overseas! Landscape has a great potential to stimulate interest in Geography in the young and in the lay person..."

He also referenced another former GA President: Sidney Wooldridge, speaking in 1949:

"By what right can we withhold a knowledge of how our terrestrial home is constructed, the meaning of its scenery and the patterns of its sky. The world contains not only factories, farms, railway sidings, market places etc but the blue hills on the skyline, the winding valleys which traverse them, russet bracken covered slopes and heather fells and the ever changing incident of long and varied coastlines."

He also predated the modern movement towards avoiding the use of the term "natural disasters". 

I have my No Natural Disasters badges and stickers.

He said:

"it is probably best no longer to use the term 'natural hazard' because many hazards are only quasi-natural"

Andrew has written on the theme of the divide between school and academic geography, and how this might be dealt with.

He also published a paper in The Canadian Geographer in 2016 on divisions between human and physical geography - another ongoing debate in the subject discipline.

Andrew remains as busy as ever.

I was interested to see that one of the PhD students that Andrew supervised was Rita Gardner, former Director of the Royal Geographical Society. Another was Nick Middleton, who has appeared on TV himself, talking about some of the world's extreme environments.

In 2003, Chris Kington asked a number of former Presidents what had sparked their passion for geography. He lent me the letters that he had in reply and Andrew replied.

He says of his spark that it was:

"I was eight or nine and we had a family holiday that took us to Lyme Regis. I collected ammonites. I then got acute appendicitis and the minister at the Kirk in Cheltenham who gave me a book on fossils... When I was better I sought them out all over the Cotswolds."

Many thanks to Chris Kington for the loan of the letters.

References
Oxford University Staff Page - some details of Andrew's academic work.

Andrew provided me with a CV with hundreds of books, papers and other published output. Here are a few examples to jog your memory perhaps:

Why the Devil’s punchbowl dries up. Geographical Magazine 50(6), 381-386 (1978) (with M. J. Day) Chill winds over India. Geographical Magazine 411-416 (1979) 

Fearful landscape of the Karakoram. Geographical Magazine pp. 306-312 (1981) 

The disintegration of rock by mechanical processes. Teaching Geography 6, 176-179 (1981) 

Man, maker of landscapes. Geographical Magazine (1987)

If anyone has anything else to add about Andrew, and memories of his contributions to the GA, please get in touch.

Update March 2021

New Book Alert! The Queen of the Sciences: Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast by Andrew Goudie and @CharmouthHCC Patron Denys Brunsden. Available now on our online shop: https://t.co/codaT1W1dg pic.twitter.com/lN3iGskiQr

— CharmouthHCC (@CharmouthHCC) March 30, 2021

Updated August 2023

Out in November 2022, in collaboration with Denys Brunsden. 

Details here from OUP.

1993 - GA Centenary image

1993 saw the centenary of the Geographical Association. I will reach that point early in the New Year on this blog.

This image above was taken in the MacKinder room of Balliol College, Oxford in 1993. It was taken from Bill Mead's Commonplace Geography book, which alerted me to its existence, and also the fact that it featured Michael Storm, who was otherwise proving elusive to track down.

Sheila Jones kindly sent me a larger version of the photograph that she had in her personal collection and that is shown below:

Front row seated from left to right

Sheila Jones,  Robert Steel, Simon Catling, Pat Cleverley,  Andrew Goudie, Patrick Bailey, Denys Brunsden, Eleanor Rawling, Rex Walford

Back row standing from left to right

Bill Mead, W V Balchin, Vic Dennison, John Allan Patmore, Michael Storm

Top image taken from Bill Mead's 'Towards a Commonplace Geography', which was published in 2015. This is a book which I bought earlier in the month at a bargain price to help with Bill Mead's biography entry and which has also proved to be excellent for various other reasons.

Thanks to Simon Catling, Chris Kington and Sheila Jones for confirming the identity of some of the people in this photo for me. As always, any memories of this event, or these Presidents welcome. Thanks to those with whom I've exchanged e-mails with this week already.

I have a programme, attendance list and also a menu from the meal that was served. They will appear when the blog reaches 1993.

All other memories of the GA Centenary Celebration welcome. 

1993 Centenary Celebration Weekend

This took place at Keble College, Oxford on the 2nd-4th of July 1993

Sheila Jones kindly send me a list of the delegates along with some hand-written comments to identify some of the names from her memory.

Andrew Goudie told me: 

The Centenary celebrations went off well and we had a fantastic, packed out, five course dinner in Keble College, attended by the Director of the RGS, the head of National Geographic (Gilbert Grosvenor) and the Secretary of State for Education (John Patten).

I have been awarded a Gilbert Grosvenor Medal as it happens :)

Here's the programme for the event.

If anyone has any memories of this event - perhaps you were there, or recognise any names then let me know.

I presume this is OK under GDPR as it took place 27 years ago and doesn't identify anyone's current location or details... Former GA Presidents are emboldened.

Miss H Arnold, York - schoolteacher

Mr A R Astles, London

Patrick Bailey, Leicester

Mrs. K M Balch, Eastbourne

Prof W G V Balchin, Ilkley

Mr R A C Barr, Northampton

Ms B L Beard, Loughborough

Mr. Trevor Bennetts, Eastleigh - HMI - more on Trevor in a separate blog post

Miss Sue Bermingham, Manchester - still very active

Ms L Beskeen, Bristol - a teacher, on the local GA Branch committee

Dr J A (Tony) Binns, Hove - Tony Binns, now based in New Zealand

Ms Rachel Bowles, London - another GA legend who will have her own blog post on the blog

Dr Mike Bradford, Manchester

Mrs K Broadbent, Oldham

Prof. D Brunsden, Bridport

Mrs. V P Bulbick, Bournemouth

Mr. D Burtenshaw, Bedhampton

Miss Margaret Caister, Islington - HMI

Miss J Campbell, Shewsbury

Mr. Simon Catling (& Mrs L Catling), Oxford 

Miss D Challis, Tetbury

Mr R Chapman, London

Mrs P A Clarke, York

Mr M J Clatworthy, Oxford

Miss Pat Cleverley, Bristol

Professor Alice Coleman, London

Mr Graham Corney, Oxford - https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Graham-Corney-81702509

Mr M Cribb, Hampton Hill

Mr Richard Daugherty, Swansea

Mr J Davey, Oxford

Mr Vic Dennison, Bristol

Mr A Dixon, Oxford

Miss C Donaldson, Brighton

Mr. Ralph Dunkley, Purley

Mr L H Elliott, London

Mrs J Elson, Exeter

Ms D Farmer, Wrexham

Mr M and Mrs. Marcia Foley, Rotherfield - Marcia Foley is a name from the past - see later...

Ms E and Miss J Frew, Manchester - Jennie Frew is still a Vice President of the Manchester GA Branch

https://www.geography.org.uk/GA-Manchester-Branch

Professor Andrew Goudie, Oxford - hosted the event

Mr P Gwilliam, Southend on Sea

Prof Peter Haggett, Bristol - a great supporter of the local branch

He appears in one of Sheila Jones' pictures.

Mr B Harris, London

Ms S M Harvey-George, Falmouth - found on LinkedIn - a geographer in Truro

Mrs A M Hayes, Oxford

Miss B E Hayward, London

Dr John Hemming, London - An IBG rep. Director of the RGS in due course.

Mr M and Mrs. E Hewitt, Bickley

Dr Gladys Hickman, Edinburgh - a great innovator according to Sheila Jones, and her own Education tutor who inspired her. Sadly died in 2006, and has her own post on this blog. An early school textbook author.

Dr Graham Humphrys (& Mrs. R), Swansea

Mrs J Janikoun, Bromley - Jan Janikoun - wrote a book for Primary Geography with Marcia Foley

Mr. R Jones and Mrs. E A Jones, Stone - Bob Jones, from the GA Staffordshire branch - he kindly put me up when I spoke at the branch about 10 years ago.

Miss Sheila Jones, Bristol

Mr. Chris Kington, Cambridge

Mr Jeremy Krause, Chester

Ms J. H. Lawley, Bury - a Headmistress who was 'always at conference'

Mr. R A Leake, Market Bosworth

Miss Julia Legge, Sheffield - involved with the GA as an administrator

Dr G E D Lewi, London

Mrs. Judith Mansell, Watford - former RGS Education Officer, and also involved with the GA as Trustee

Mr R A H Marshall, Manchester

Mr. Alan Marvell, Swindon - still heavily involved with the GA in the Post-16 committee

Mr Robert May, Cheltenham - GA Branch officer, has his own post on the blog

Professor Bill Mead, Aylesbury

Mr D C Money, Bedford - author who has been mentioned early on the blog, and had a fascinating life - a keen contributor to GA events.

Miss N Moon, Swindon

Mr. R B Ll Morgan, Repton

Mrs. Wendy Morgan, Ipswich

Mrs. S Morris, Croydon

Mr Mike Morrish, London

Mr Michael Naish (& Mrs. S), Bromley - Education tutor in London, and previously mentioned on the blog

Ms H. Niemann, Burgewdl, Germany - an international attendee; common at GA Conferences now, sometimes with the support of the GA's International SIG.

Mr M and Mrs M O' Leary, Nottingham

Mr Keith Orrell, Wakefield - very active, and has his own post on the blog

Professor Allan Patmore, North Ferriby, Hull

Mr M and Mrs. E Pearson, Preston

Miss J Pugh, Leicester

Mr A Powell, London

Mrs Eleanor Rawling (& Mr J Rawling), Oxford

Mr M K Reeves, Rolle, Swizerland

Mrs Margaret Roberts, Sheffield

Miss Rosemary L Robson, Eastbourne - She was chair of the Secondary School committee (on which I served for 14 years) and a very efficient one. She served a similar period to Sheila Jones, who sent me these notes. She feels that she should have been President, but was never selected by the hierarchy at the time.

Mr John Rolfe, Boreham Wood

Mr N Rosser, Malvern

Mrs E Sawicka, Solihull

Mr Neil Simmonds, Worksop - teacher

Mr D G Smith, Oxford

Miss M Smeaton, Worcester - lecturer

Miss Frances Soar - GA Staff

Mrs C Speak, Shaftesbury

Dr Derek Spooner, Hull

Professor Robert Steel, Swansea

Rev C H and Mrs. D Stephens, Nottingham

Mr Michael Storm, Reading

Mrs Andrea Tapsfield, Warwick - HMI and involved with the GA for many decades - still active now, and recently worked on the Mentoring section of the GA website - will have her own post on the blog.

Mr C C Taylor, Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr Rex Walford, Cambridge - and Mrs. Wendy Walford

Ms. J Webb, Melton Mowbray

Ms A Whipp, Llanbedr-y-Fro

Mrs D White, Bournemouth

Prof M Williams, Swansea

Mr D and Mrs. C Williams, Norwich

Professor Michael Wise, London - & Mrs. B Wise

Miss M B Woodward, Ramsgate

Mrs. G Wraith, Chesterfield

Mentioned here: she taught at Lady Manners School, Bakewell

“The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 61, no. 4, 1976, pp. 263–271. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40568595. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Ms P Wilson, Bedford - very busy GA activist

Here are 2 photos from the many provided by Sheila Jones.

The first has an interior view of Keble College, Oxford.

I recognise several people there, including Patrick Bailey talking to Trevor Bennetts, Bob May and Gilbert Grosvenor of the National Geographic Society.

Another picture from Sheila is this one from the garden.

I recognise quite a few former GA Presidents there including Michael Bradford, Rex Walford, Simon Catling and Eleanor Rawling.

The lady in the blue dress in the middle of the photograph, with the brown handbag is Elizabeth Fleure, daughter of Professor H J Fleure - a link to the GA's origins a century earlier...

All memories and further details of any delegates that you recognise, such as names, jobs etc would be very welcome to help flesh out this post further.

Challenging Times - Charney Papers

In 1993, the Charney Manor Conference focussed on the National Curriculum. A book was published with a series of papers. It included pieces by many former GA Presidents, including Rex Walford, Eleanor Rawling, Chris Kington and Michael Morrish.

There was an analysis by David Lambert where he talked about Hirsch and his ideas - someone he would return to several times over the next 2 decades in his work. Rex contributed an excellent piece on games in Geography.

'Geography and the Geography Teacher' by David Hall

Anyone got a copy on their shelves?

Geography through Topics

Published in the 1980s and written by Chris Parker and Andrea Tapsfield. A small paperback book.

Co-published by NCET (National Council for Educational Technology) and the GA.

Good to see CEEFAX get a mention. Simon Catling is also referenced quite a few times.

Marcia Foley

Marcia Foley is a name I'd heard several times in the past as I worked on this blog.

She was present at the 1993 Centenary weekend, which spawned quite a few new posts which are coming up over the next month a so.

She co-wrote a book with Jan Janikoun for Primary Geographers, and several others as well and was active on the fringes of the GA I believe.

If anyone can fill me in with more details on Marcia Foley's contributions that would be appreciated.

Martin Shevill

Martin Shevill was the GA's Library and Information Officer in the late 1980s at Fulwood Road.

As with other GA officers throughout the decades, this went alongside other work, including work as a Lecturer at the University of Sheffield and a Headteacher, and the GA was fortunate to have someone give their expertise freely to support the work of the Association.

He held several honorary posts at the GA, and was a trustee for a while.

His LinkedIn profile contains a lot more information.

Martin is the Senior Education Adviser for National Teacher Accreditation (NTA) and formerly CEO of Consilium Academies and also carries out independent consultancy work. Martin has worked in senior leadership positions in education for twenty five years. He has supported a number of schools/academies in the North of England commissioned through the National Leader of Education, LA and Trusts routes. He has also been instrumental in setting up educational trusts for example Education Ossett Community Trust (EOCT), a trust of nine cross-phase schools in Ossett including a secondary special school and the Yorkshire Education Trust, a group of four academies in Doncaster/Wakefield. Martin has held honorary positions with the Geographical Association, including. Trusteeship and has written a series of school geography text books and articles for educational journals. Martin is a former member of the Head Teacher Board of the Regional School Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Imagine if Dudley Stamp had had LinkedIn.

References

Humphrys, Graham, et al. “Annual Report of The Geographical Association 1987.” Geography, vol. 73, no. 2, 1988, pp. 162–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571395. Accessed 14 Nov. 2020.

If anyone has more memories of Martin's contributions to the GA, please get in touch.

Everybody needs good neighbours

Karl Kennedy from 'Neighbours' was in the same hotel as the GA crew when we went to Wrexham in 2009 to take delegates through the 'Living Geography' series of events that took us around the country. Ruth Totterdell, Jeff Stanfield, Justin Woolliscroft and myself were presenting, and Lucy Oxley was there to welcome the delegates. 

There's a signed copy of the GA's manifesto for geography: "a different view" knocking around somewhere...

I've previously mentioned how John Craven was involved with a previous Worldwise Quiz.

Any other celebrity endorsements and links with the GA that anyone can remember from other events? I remember a (non-GA) event when Bill Oddie apparently ended up going on about how he hated the subject at school or some such... I asked on social media and heard from several people who were at the event and told me some more about it....

Image: Ruth and Lucy with Alan Fletcher

Updated August 2021

Alan Fletcher was one of the Celebrity supply teachers for the BBC

1992: Professor Simon Catling

Updated December 2020

Professor Simon Catling is a true gentleman, and a giant in the field of geography education, with a particular interest in Primary Geography and outdoor education, as well as the education of Primary teachers.

Here he is in his study in a recent image sent by Simon himself. 
For many years he has been involved in steering the development of the Charney Manor Conference - one of the key events in the Primary calendar for teacher educators.

I'm proud to have a chapter in this book which Simon Catling edited and collated for the 20th Charney Primary Conference, which took place in 2017, which I attended.

He is also someone who has always been receptive to new ideas, particularly in the field of outdoor education. Here he is chatting to Daniel Raven Ellison: an innovator himself, at a previous GA Conference.


Get your copy of the Charney book pictured below here.

One additional reason to get a copy (in addition to getting my piece) is a auto(geo)biography written by Simon in the introduction to the book.



Simon has been involved in and with the GA from the 1970s onwards.

I came across a contribution that Simon made to the GA Conference all the way back in 1980, when he was working at a Junior School in London, as he mentioned in his CV.



https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/50126/page/53

I'm grateful to Simon for passing me through a whole range of information on his career and contributions to geography, which have been immense. 

Here is what Simon told me:

Simon was born in Leicester, UK on September 3rd, 1947.

Where did you go to school/

university?
Town Close Preparatory School, Norwich, Norfolk. September 1954 to April 1956.
Melbourne Lodge Preparatory School, Claygate, Surrey. April 1956 to December 1960.
Tonbridge School, Tonbridge, Kent. January 1961 to July 1965. Gained O levels and A
levels (including geography at both levels).
St. Mark and St. John College of Education, Chelsea, London. September 1967 to June
1971. 

Gained a BEd degree in geography and education, qualifying as a primary teacher.

University of London Institute of Education. September 1971 to September 1973. Part-time.
Gained an MA in Geography Education.

The image here was provided by Simon, and shows him aged 21.

What has your career been?
1965-67: Teacher at Daneshill Preparatory School, Oxshott, Surrey. I taught geography
through the school, as well as mathematics and English to some younger classes. 

[This was to check that I wanted to teach. I was unqualified and a teenager (18 and 19 years old).]
1971-72: Full-time Sabbatical President of the University of London Institute of Education
Students’ Association (ULIESA). ULIESA was the federation of all the Colleges and
Departments of Education which were accredited by the Institute of Education, University of
London (about 35 all told). [I got involved in student politics from 1969, which led to being
elected to this post and becoming involved a little in NUS politics.]
1972-1975: Class 3 and 4 teacher at Melcombe Junior School, Fulham, London. Also
promoted to be responsible for humanities and boys’ games: 1973-75.
1975-1980: Class 5 and 6 teacher at Sheringdale Primary School, Southfields, Wandsworth,
London. Appointed to this promoted post with responsibility for boys’ games and humanities,
then later school journeys.
1980-1984: Deputy Head teacher at Southmead Junior School, Southfields, Wandsworth,
London. Also responsible for humanities and school journeys. [From where I moved into HE
and ITE.]
1984-2012: Variety of posts and roles in the School of Education, Oxford Brookes University
(Oxford Polytechnic to 1992), Oxford, including senior lecturer in education (1984-1990),
lead for primary geography (across the whole period), lead for primary humanities (1984-
2000), principal lecturer responsible for initial teacher education (1990-1995), 

Deputy Head of the School (1995-1998)

Acting Head of the School (1998-2000), 

Deputy Head of the (retitled) Institute of Education (2000-2008). 

From 2001 I was appointed Professor of Education, which in 2008 became Professor of Primary Education, and Emeritus Professor in 2012.

Simon has contributed to, or written hundreds of books, chapters, papers and articles, including many articles of GA journals.

e.g.

Geographer and the Child in 1992.

Catling, Simon. “Guest Editorial: The Geographer and the Child: A Fragment in the Story of Geography.” Geography, vol. 77, no. 4, 1992, pp. 289–291. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572250. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.

Simon told me about his long association with the Geographical Association:

"I have been a member of The Geographical Association since 1967 and first became involved with

its committees in 1975. In 1984 I was privileged to be invited to chair its Education Committee,

during a period of considerable upheaval, change and decision making in relation to geography in

the school curriculum, in which I was centrally involved. We emerged from this successfully. This

included leading and writing the GA’s response to the proposals for a national curriculum and in

relation to the proposals for the first geography national curriculum, including initiating and

contributing to a book submitted to the Geography Working Group in 1989.

In 1990 I was invited to become President of the Association for 1992/93. This involved chairing

and leading the planning of the Annual Conference in 1993, the Centenary Year of the

Association, which involved entertaining the Princess Royal and other dignitaries as well as giving

my Presidential address. 

I was the first primary specialist to hold this role. 

I have always been involved with the Primary Committee since 1975, rejoining it after a period away from it in 2005.

1975-90 Member of Primary and Middle Schools Section Committee

1983-87 Chair of Primary and Middle Schools Section Committee

1984-90 Chair of Education Standing Committee

1985-88 GA representative on the Education Committee of the Historical Association

1985-88 Geographical Association Representative on the Ordnance Survey/Royal Geographical Society Education Committee

1990-91 Junior Vice President of The Geographical Association

1991-92 Senior Vice President of The Geographical Association

1992-93 PRESIDENT of The Geographical Association

1993-94 Past President of The Geographical Association

1994-95 Member of the Teacher Education Working Group

1994-2002 Chair, Geographical Association's New Initiatives Fund

2002-05 Honorary Vice-President of The Geographical Association

2005-present Member of Early Years and Primary Schools Committee

2010-15 Member of the Independent Schools Special Interest Group

2017 Appointed an Honorary Member of the Geographical Association (for services to geographical education)"

When Simon was the GA President, he was Principal Lecturer for Initial Teacher Education at the School of Education, Oxford Brookes University, tutor for geography education and primary humanities lead. 

Simon's Presidential theme was The Whole World in Our Hands, which was the 1993 Conference title, and also the title of his Presidential lecture. Simon decided on this theme because he felt that it encapsulated the nature and role of geography in education, in school geography and in higher education. 

He told me:

"It was a busy year, as the new National Curriculum Geography requirements began to be implemented (from 1991-92), which the GA encouraged members and many more teachers to take seriously. There was much follow up work, particularly in developing support and in-service activities. I was involved in inviting the Princess Royal to open the GA Conference in Sheffield in 1993; she spoke very supportively of the Association and about the value of geography and was very well received (her second husband and her nephew both hold geography degrees). I engaged well-known speakers for the Conference from in and beyond the geography education world, including a government education minister, and the UK’s past UN representative, Sir Crispin Tickell. My Presidential Lecture reminded its large audience of the reasons for setting up the GA and its purpose, about what children are able to bring to geographical learning, significant aspects of geography education, and its links with development education. It concluded in setting some goals for the future for the Association (see Geography Autumn, 1993) This seemed to go down well!

Simon is an Honorary Member of the Geographical Association (appointed 2017). He told me a great deal more and I will perhaps add those to a supplementary post. He continues to work hard, and has some papers and other publishing outputs to come in 2021.

Thanks must also go to Simon for subsantive contributions made to some of the other entries on the blog, particularly those of Michael Storm and Norman Graves.

References

There are too many books and articles to mention here, so there is no bibliography here as with some previous Presidents.

Charney Book: https://www.geography.org.uk/Shop/Key-stage/Key-stage-2/Reflections-on-Primary-Geography/9780953815456

Endless contributions to Primary Geography and Primary Geographer journals.

Simon also wrote modules for the Open University's PGCE Course in Primary Geography

Sample module:

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/pluginfile.php/20904/mod_resource/content/1/e880_7_section1.pdf(PDF download)

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098265.2017.1331422?journalCode=cjgh20

Some tweets:

.@RowanMoore's work for @ObserverUK @guardian cited by Prof Simon Catling as an important case study that primary geography should consider. Geography should 'tell it for real'. Its for them. It matters in an imbalanced primary curriculum. #PrimaryRocks #PlacesMatter #GAConf19 pic.twitter.com/UMbiXbXbgm

— Geography Primary / Early Years Committee @The_GA (@EYPPC_GA) April 10, 2019

Professor Simon Catling about to strut his stuff with one of his many geography themed items of clothing #Charney17 pic.twitter.com/HXbGmqPJbk

— Dr Paula Owens FRGS (@Primageographer) February 25, 2017

Here's Simon talking about the importance of geography quite recently:

Recent papers:

Catling, S (2020) Primary Geography: Onwards and Upwards. Primary Geography, 101, Spring. Catling, S (2020) Feedback to feedforward: An Author's perspective. Primary Geography, 101, Spring. Catling, S (2019) Key concepts, In Willy, T (Ed) Leading Primary Geography. Sheffield: Geographical Association. 

Eaude, T and Catling S (2019) The role of the humanities in a balanced and broadly-based primary curriculum. Impact, 6, Summer, 59-61. 

Willy, T and Catling, S (2018) Geography at the heart of the primary curriculum. Impact, 4, Autumn, 52-55 

Catling, S (2018) To know maps: Primary school children and contextualised map learning, Boletim Paulista de Geografia, 99, 268-290. 

Recent books: 

Catling, S (2020) Everyday Guide to Primary Geography: Locational Knowledge. Sheffield: Geographical Association. 

Catling, S & Willy, T (2018) Understanding and Teaching Primary Geography. London: Sage. 

Catling, S. (Ed.) (2017). Reflections on Primary Geography. Sheffield: The Register of Research in Primary Geography (via The Geographical Association).

Society Memberships:

1965-68 Associate of The Royal Geographical Society

1968-present Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society

1967-present Member of The Geographical Association

1984-93 Member of The Historical Association

1984-1992 Member of the Historical Association’s Education Committee

1986-94 Member of The Curriculum Association

1995-2013 Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts

1997-2013 Member of the Field Studies Council

1997-2003 Member of the Executive Council of the Field Studies Council

Important committees:

1979-84 Member of Schools Council Geography Committee

1980-82 Member of Schools Council Graphicacy Working Party

1990-91 Member of National Curriculum Council (NCC) Committee B (covering Science,

Mathematics, Geography and Technology)

1990-91 Member of the National Curriculum Council (NCC) Task Group on Geography

1992-93 Member of the Geography Committee of the School Examinations and Assessment Council (SEAC)

1998 Member of Key Stages 1 and 2 Geography Schemes of Work Working Group of Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)

2005 Member of QCA Futures Project National Geography Forum

2005 Member of the GA/RGS-IBG Power of Geography Forum

2013 Member and Vice-Chair of the Expert Group for Geography in ITE of the

DfE/National College of Teaching and Leadership

2013-14 Co-Chair of the Geography Expert Advisory Group of the DfE

2014-16 Member of the Geography Expert Advisory Group

Simon has also been the Governor of Primary Schools for over 25 years, completing the 'set' of school involvement.

To end Simon's entry, here's a characteristically important statement that he thought to make with regards to the value of the Solly Street staff:

".... the most important thing as a past President of the GA is to honour and thank the staff of the GA Headquarters office, who have provided invaluable, exemplary and ever-present support over the past few decades that I have been involved in the GA. During my Presidential year they were superb. Much has changed in the way the GA works since I became involved in 1975 and particularly since I began chairing committees in the 1980s. I have contributed to some of these developments, in small part, from time to time. The staff have always been there for us all, have provided the service we needed and ensured in the kindest ways that we followed up on what we committed ourselves and the Association to do. During my involvement I have seen the publications of the GA burnished and prosper hugely to the Associations’ benefit. The publications staff do an amazing job getting out three journals and the members’ magazine three times a year, and a wide variety of topical and significant publications to support and enable primary and secondary teachers to keep improving and developing geography teaching, as well as now keeping us up-to-date digitally. The publications are of the highest quality and are envied by other subject associations and many national publishers. Through good and rough times the GA staff have been and remain our mainstay."

Full results from Simon's questionnaire can be viewed here.

If anyone has any further memories of Simon please pass them through. 

If you go to Solly Street and go through the door immediately to the right of the entrance, you will be in his Primary archive room.

Update - December 2020

I was reminded that Simon was also involved in the development of this article: on the idea of geographical significance.

There is also a personal connection here. When Liz Taylor was writing the book and trialling the ideas in it, she was leading the PGCE course at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. We always had colleagues from Homerton in the school where I taught - in fact I worked closely with two of them when working as Head of Department, who we employed when they finished their placements with us. We got a mention at the end of the article:

Reference

Taylor, Liz, and Simon Catling. “Geographical Significance a Useful Concept?” Teaching Geography, vol. 31, no. 3, 2006, pp. 122–125. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44633462. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

Rex Beddis

1988 saw the passing at an early age of Rex Beddis, who was the GA's Publications officer for some years, and also worked on books that will be familiar to many geography teachers. He was also a teacher himself, at the Elliott School.

He helped develop curriculum thinking, and his books were widely used in many schools, including my own.

One of his most popular book series was A Sense of Place. 

This involved 3 books and accompanying workbooks and teacher guide - a feature which became common with Key Geography, Geog Dot and other series, right up to the present day.

From the description:

* Presents a number of ideas through a range of data - text, photographs, drawings, diagrams, statistics and maps 

* Encourages students to form opinion through feelings and values as well as evidence 

* Develops a wide range of skills 

* Helps students to look at the future as well as understand the present

When I posted a picture of the first book, it prompted lots of memories from people who had the books, used the books, bought the books for their department, and many who still have their copies of the books, or inherited them when they moved to a new school. They include David Gardner, who has been associated with the GA for many years, and may get his own blog post in due course.

References

Storm, Michael. “The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 73, no. 3, 1988, pp. 268–271. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571429. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Any further memories of Rex Beddis welcome.