2013: Professor Hazel Barrett

Hazel Barrett is an academic geographer from Coventry University, specialising in Development Geography.

As with more recent Presidents, much of this entry has been written thanks to contributions from Hazel, who responded to a Google Form which I sent round to as many Presidents as possible and has been updated slightly since the original posting.

Hazel is currently Chair in Development Geography at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University. 

Hazel is a social scientist who has been undertaking research into the reality of gender and development in sub-Saharan Africa for over 30 years. Her main areas of research are the socio-economic aspects of human development and how these impact on children and women, in particular their livelihood opportunities, education as well as health and well-being.

Hazel has led national and international research projects funded by UK government, UK research councils, UK foundations and the European Union Daphne Fund. She has published books, chapters and over 50 refereed articles relating to gender, health and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, New York Times, London Evening Standard, the Huffington Post, BBC, ITV and Sky TV as well as UK, US and Singapore radio. 
She has presented her research at the Houses of Parliament, the EU Parliament and at the Girl Summit 2014. 

In 2015 she was named as ‘One of 1000 Most Influential Londoners’ for her research on female genital mutilation. She is a specialist on participatory and community-based action research methods which empower research participants and enables their narratives and views be heard.

Hazel was born in London in 1955.

She told me about her school experiences and employment:
"I failed my 11+ so went to the Secondary Modern School in Maldon, Essex.
I then passed my 13+ so went to the Grammar School in Maldon, Essex.
Two years later the two schools were merged into a large Comprehensive School, renamed The Plume School, Maldon, Essex. I stayed there until I finished my A levels.

From 1973 to 1976 I attended Sussex University where I graduated with a BA 2.1 (Hons) in Geography with African and Asian Studies.
Between 1977-1978 I did an MA in West African Studies at the Centre for West African Studies (CWAS) at Birmingham University.
From 1978 to 1984 I undertook my PhD at CWAS at Birmingham University.
I have spent my career as an academic teaching human geography and development studies and researching social justice issues, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

When Hazel became President, she was Associate Dean of Applied Research, Faculty of Business, Environment and Society, Coventry University. She was also Research Professor in Development Geography."

I first met Hazel in October of her Presidential year, when she travelled up to the SAGT Conference. She was there to give the fraternal greetings as is common between the SAGT and the GA at their respective conferences. I have attended the SAGT conference almost every year since 2004 when I was first invited up by Val Vannet when she was conference convenor.

Image: John Vannet

I'd just moved into a new job, and we picked up an award for 'Fieldwork through Enquiry' and I also won one for some work I'd done with Felicity Aston on her 'Pole of Cold' expedition.

Hazel was the editor of 'Geography' from 1997-2003 years. This is a significant role, held for a considerable period.

Hazel's Presidential year reflected her own research interests of course. She told me, "my Presidential theme was:
Geography: Crossing Boundaries.
This refers to the fact that as geographers:

• We research issues that cross physical and human boundaries
• We research issues that require an interdisciplinary approach that cross subject boundaries
• The methodologies and methods we use in our research are constantly pushing back boundaries

Hazel lived in the Gambia earlier in her career. where she undertook data collection for her PhD. In the early part of her research career she carried out research into the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and has done numerous invited lectures at GA branches on this topic. 

More recently her research has focussed on female genital mutilation (FGM) both in Africa but also in the EU and UK.

Over the last decade her research has been directed at the social and economic aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and The Gambia as well as amongst migrant groups in the UK.

An area that she often focusses on in her talks is female genital mutilation (FGM): a topic on which she speaks widely at GA Branches and elsewhere, bringing this important issue to the attention of many students. She has written on this topic, and also period poverty (another current issue) for the Conversation:

https://theconversation.com/profiles/hazel-barrett-95199/articles

Hazel said:
"I focussed on equal opportunities during my time as President. I like to think I contributed to the GA being an open diverse organisation which welcomes people of any gender, ability, ethnicity and religion. My main memories are of camaraderie, support and laughing (a lot!)."

References

University page: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/hazel-barrett

https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/researchers/professor-hazel-barrett/?theme=main

View Hazel's Presidential Lecture here: https://slideplayer.com/slide/6367868/

BARRETT, HAZEL. “Editorial.” Geography, vol. 82, no. 1, 1997, pp. 1–1. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572860. Accessed 20 July 2020.

https://www.geography.org.uk/Journal-Issue/c6656b60-ea1a-4021-aedf-9f81ac55cf13

Top Spec, co-written with the previous year's President: Bob Digby

Top image: Copyright Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association

Any memories of Hazel's time at the GA welcome

2011: Fran Martin

Fran Martin worked at the University of Exeter, as a geography teacher and researcher until recently, when she became an independent consultant.

Here's a story about Fran from the GA News 2005. These documents are quite ephemeral, and I am grateful to Aaron Bohlman from the GA for identifying them and letting me have access to them when I was last in Solly Street which seems like a long time ago now.

I was present at Fran's Presidential lecture, where she spoke about the work she had done. Rob Morris was also present, and he gave his thoughts on it here at the time:
http://lodgemeister.blogspot.com/2012/04/ga-conference-lost-bag-and-pre-term.html

Fran's conference theme was Geographies of Difference.

This is an important theme and one which persists of course to this day, with plenty more that all organisations including the GA can do to consider inclusivity and the number of people of colour involved in key roles, as well as issue of gender and representation.

Fran kindly filled in the Google Form that I sent round to all living Presidents and filled me in on some useful additional details for the blog post here.

Fran was born in the 1950s, and educated at Wycombe Abbey school, before heading for Cambridge University.

She had a career as a primary teacher followed by teacher educator and latterly academic/researcher, which was her job when she became GA President in 2011. 

(this was the year when I ended my GA employment sadly)

Fran has also written a number of books for Early Years and Primary geography, including one published by former GA President Chris Kington.

Bob Digby, who was to follow Fran as GA President worked with Fran for a while at Brunel University. He told me of his time there:

"The Brunel years were enjoyable, fun and challenging - just what a job should be. I worked with Fran Martin and Graham Yates, each of whom I love dearly, across a range of primary and secondary courses: undergraduate as well as post-graduate. I worked with school colleagues from a range of school types which were as varied and as interesting as our students. I observed PE lessons (anyone who knows me will splutter at this point) as well as lessons in Geography, English, RE ... whatever teachers taught, I observed. The School of Education was like a school in that it was a real community. PGCE students spend nine months with you and they're gone; with four-year undergraduates you get to know them and how they think just as you would with students in a school. It was rich, exciting, and fun."

Of her chosen conference theme, Fran told me:

"My theme was 'Geographies of Difference'. I chose it because it resonated with my research at the time - Global Partnerships as Sites of Mutual Learning - I learnt a lot about different ways of knowing, critical interculturalism and coloniality and wanted to bring some of that knowledge to my focus for the year. 

I have been a member of the GA since 1989. I had written articles and books for the GA and been an active member of both the Teacher Educators Working Group and the Early Years and Primary Committee. 

I was editor of Primary Geography 2005-2009 and then a member of the editorial board 2009 - 2017."

She feels the GA matters very much to educators:

"I became involved when I was county advisory teacher for the humanities in Buckinghamshire. I had not known of its existence before then. I initially found it to be an invaluable resource. Later I found I had things to say that contributed to that resource. It has been a great professional support and enhanced my career."

Of her time as President she said:

"I continue to have feedback that people loved the conference and still use the pieces I wrote for 'Primary Geography' and 'Teaching Geography' in their work. I tried to live out my values and the values inherent in the theme of geographies of difference and found mixed success in that regard." 

Fran about to speak, with members of the supportive Primary community on the front row...

Simon Catling said of her Presidency that she brought a wider awareness and context through her links and research in intercultural understanding.

Fran has continued her involvement with the Primary Geography community and regularly attends and presents at the Charney Manor Primary Conference and was also involved in the creation of many issues of 'Primary Geography' journal and contributed articles and other content over the years as mentioned previously in her role as Editor. Current work explores ideas of decolonisation, which is particularly significant at the present time.

She has carried out research in the UK, West Africa, India and Canada, particularly with Fatima Pirbhai-Illich from the University of Regina, with whom she has presented at the Charney Manor Primary Conference.

There is a link between Fran and my own chosen conference theme of 'Everyday Geographies'.

In the Autumn 2006 issue of 'Primary Geographer', Fran wrote a piece called 'Everyday Geography' which remains influential to this day. Around this time, the GA was also using the phrase 'Living Geography'.

Everyday Geography  encouraged Primary educators and students to remember and recognise that they think geographically in the course of their daily life.

https://www.geography.org.uk/Journal-Issue/cdb38e75-8b48-48c4-9855-63c555582323

Images copyright:Bryan Ledgard and the GA (from Flickr account)

References

Martin, Fran. “The Geographies of Difference.” Teaching Geography, vol. 38, no. 1, 2013, pp. 10–13. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23756981

Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalfran

Fran's profile on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fran-Martin-3 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sec5vcAAAAAJ&hl=en

Decolonising geography work: https://decolonisegeography.com/explore

Article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314169655_Places_spaces_and_boundaries_A_critical_look_at_the_relational_in_geography_classrooms 

'Caring for our World' - co-written with Paula Owens

https://www.geography.org.uk/Shop/CARING-FOR-OUR-WORLD/9781843772118 

As always, any memories of Fran and her time at the GA welcome.

2004: Professor Bill J Chambers

Updated August 2022

Bill Chambers is another one of those academic Geographers who has done so much for the subject over the years.

He is linked with Liverpool Hope University as Pro Vice Chancellor Emeritus, where he also spent many years in the geography department.

Bill worked in the sphere of Primary Geography a great deal, which is good to see., along with development education. The first entries on this blog were mostly academic geographers, and it is only of late that Primary Geography has been appropriately represented amongst the GA Presidents with people like Wendy Morgan leading the way. 

Jeremy Krause wrote a lot about this during his own entry on the blog from 2001.

Bill turned his Presidential lecture into a public address, hoping to raise awareness of the subject - an interesting idea. 

As it happens, Gill Miller's lecture was also delivered publicly because of the eConference and remains the most viewed at the present time - we will see whether Susan Pike's lecture receives more views.

Bill has a long association with Peru in South America.

He first visited the slums of Lima as a VSO volunteer.
He says his two years there in a squatter settlement were "an experience which had a lifelong impact on me and my teaching" .

The Presidential lecture - "Lima's squatter settlements: slums of hope or despair"- considered changes in the barriadas of the Peruvian capital between 1964 and 2004 and asked whether they are the cause or the solution to the problems of rural Peru. I was present at his Presidential Address, and other aspects of that conference.
Bill cites examples from the families and the communities in which he lived while he analysed the question.
His staff page on his University website flags up a great deal of GA involvement:

• Editor of 'Primary Geographer '1990-2000
• Chambers, B. 2004 Geography and Lifelong Learning in Kent, W.A. Rawling, E. and Robinson, A. 2004. Geographical Education: Expanding Horizons in a Shrinking World. International Geographical Union Commission on Geographical Education and Scottish Association of Geography Teachers.
• Chambers, B. 2005 Lima's Slums: Problems or Solutions Geographical Association Annual Conference, Presidential Address. Pride Park, Derby.
• Chambers, B. 2005. Squatter Settlements in Lima, Peru. Geographical Association Annual Conference, University of Derby.
• Geographical Association Gold Award for publication of year 1991
• Geographical Association Silver Award for publication 1997

A version of Bill's Presidential lecture can be viewed here:

Lima's Barriadas - Slums of Hope or Despair? from hantsga

Another personal link is that Bill published books with Karl Donert, with whom I have worked on a number of ERASMUS projects. 

Here's Bill talking about his journey to being President in the GA News. It also includes some biographical detail:

I share Bill's aims here when it comes to my own Presidential year. His aims were to encourage people to support their local GA branches.
At the 2005 conference, I was there for the GA Publishers awards and evening at Pride Park in Derby and heard Bill's Presidential address.

Bill was kind enough to answer some questions on the Google Form that I produced for all those Presidents who are still around to answer my questions.

On his memories of his education:

I always loved Geography from my first lesson with Mr Geoff Sears at Preston Manor Grammar School in 1957. 

As a trainee geography teacher at Marjons betweem 1966 and 1970 I was encouraged by inspirational lecturers Dr Roland Allison and Dr Vernon Williams to become involved in the GA as a the preeminent professional organisation for geography teachers. 

Once established from 1973 at Notre Dame College Liverpool (now Liverpool Hope University) and being responsible for the training of primary and secondary teachers it was a natural progression to join the local branch of the GA which was largely run by Professor Dick Lawton of Liverpool University. 

After a decade as Programme Secretary and later Chair of the Branch I was encouraged as part of my professional development by my head of department Alan Hammersley to contribute nationally and I joined the Environmental Education Working Group. 

The GA gave me the opportunity to work with the great geographers of the day and become aware of current developments in geography. It also gave me an opportunity to begin to publish both academic and pedagogical papers. I also made many lifelong friends including Tony Thomas the inspirational head of the Field Studies Council.

He said that he hoped his Presidency had raised the profile of the branches.

He also mentioned a great many of the great and the good of the time who had influenced his own involvement and decision to run for President.

I became a member of the GA in 1966 whilst training to be a teacher at the College of St Mark and St John. I became a Committee Member, then Programme Secretary and then Chair of the Liverpool Branch of the GA in 1976. I retired in 2011. 

I became a member in 1980(?) and finally Chair of the GA Environmental Education Working Group. I became a member of the GA Council in 1995

I was elected President of the GA in 2004-5 My main presidential concern was to affirm the role of the Branches. During my year as President I lectured at over 30 Branches. That's quite a target to aim for.

I asked Bill why geography mattered to him

I always loved Geography from my first lesson with Mr Geoff Sears at Preston Manor Grammar School in 1957. As a trainee geography teacher at Marjons betweem 1966 and 1970 I was encouraged by inspirational lecturers Dr Roland Allison and Dr Vernon Williams to become involved in the GA as a the preeminent professional organisation for geography teachers. 

Once established from 1973 at Notre Dame College Liverpool (now Liverpool Hope University) and being responsible for the training of primary and secondary teachers it was a natural progression to join the local branch of the GA which was largely run by Professor Dick Lawton of Liverpool University. 

After a decade as Programme Secretary and later Chair of the Branch I was encouraged as part of my professional development by my head of department Alan Hammersley to contribute nationally and I joined the Environmental Education Working Group. The GA gave me the opportunity to work with the great geographers of the day and become aware of current developments in geography. It also gave me an opportunity to begin to publish both academic and pedagogical papers. I also made many lifelong friends including Tony Thomas the inspirational head of the Field Studies Council.

He had memories of encounters with, and inspirationt taken from, a great many other familiar names as well:

WGV (Billy Balchin) was Head of the Department of Geography when I studied for my PhD at Swansea. He worked closely with Alice Coleman. Dick Lawton was Head of the Department of Geography at Liverpool University when I arrived in the city. He was a tough Yorkshireman and utterly committed to geography and to the GA especially on Merseyside. 

Rex Walford was one of the first educational geographers. He was one of the most enthusiastic and creative people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He drowned tragically in the Thames while in his prime. He was responsible for many initiatives including the Worldwise Quiz. 

Graham Humphrys lectured at Swansea and memorably dedicated one of his many books to Mark (his son?), Marilyn (his wife) and Maesteg (his birthplace). 

Richard Dougherty ran the PGCE Geography course at Swansea.

 

Simon Catling was the year behind me at Marjons. He was always an incredibly ambitious, enthusiastic and prolific advocate of Primary school geography and, along with Wendy Morgan, was largely responsible for the introduction of primary geography to the GA. Apart from this he was well known for his many home made geography pullovers. 

Wendy Morgan was the first Primary School President of the GA. She was responsible for the launch of the journal Primary Geographer and was its first editor. She was an indefatigable and creative person. She was responsible for the St Lucia Resources Pack which was used by many primary schools in the early days of the Geography National Curriculum. 

Jeremy Krause was a local authority geography advisor in Cheshire and was responsible for much of the success of geography in the north west of England. 

Chris Kington was a well loved Cambridge publisher who worked tirelessly for the GA and commissioned many books. 

 

As with many other GA Presidents, Bill has also used his experiences as trustee to work as a trustee for other organisations.

He is a member of, and currently Chair the Board of Trustees of the Brain Charity.

The Brain Charity.

On this website, there was a little more information about him:

Bill has lived in Liverpool since 1973 and has worked at Liverpool Hope University for his entire working life initially as a geography lecturer and finally as Pro Vice Chancellor External Relations and Widening Participation.
He is married to Fiona, a community educator, with 3 children and 6 grandchildren. They both love the Liverpool Philharmonic and Bill is also a season ticket holder at Everton.

References
Slideshare: Presidential Lecture - see above

Book with Karl Donert:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Geography-Key-Stage-Learning/dp/1899857273

LinkedIn - I wonder who would have been in the network of previous Presidents from the last century?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-chambers-39a3aa24/?originalSubdomain=uk

Bill's Presidential address

Bill Chambers - Presidential Lecture GA - 2005 from GeoBlogs