Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts

Sunday, 31 August 2025

2025: Catherine Owen

For the fourth year out of the last five, the GA President will be a teacher, and a female state-school teacher for the third year in a row - and with a fourth to come next year. Quite a turnaround from the long-established pattern.

Catherine Owen is the new GA President for 2024-25

I sent Catherine the questions that I had given to all other Presidents and used them to create the post below. 
I'm grateful to Catherine for the level of detail she provided and taking the time to help create this entry on the blog.

When and where were you born?

I was born in Bristol in 1972. Both of my parents are Cornish and my Cornish heritage is an important part of my identity.

Where did you go to school / university?

I grew up in Yatton, a village outside Bristol which had been chosen for rapid expansion from the 1960s onwards. There was such a rapid influx of children into Yatton Infants School in the late 1970s that all the classrooms were Portakabins, with the old stone school building reserved for assemblies and lessons such as cooking. 

Aged seven we moved to the Junior School next door, which had four classes in each year group. 

Graduation day

It was wonderful to grow up in a village full of families with young children, but the rapid growth also
meant a lack of facilities and services.
We were bussed to the village of Backwell for secondary school on a fleet of around 13 coaches. I was a quiet, hard working student and appreciated the opportunities that Backwell School gave me, including learning to play the clarinet and saxophone and to go on visits including to France and The Netherlands. 

I studied maths, physics and geography for my A levels whilst also working at a local supermarket and taking part in the guiding movement as a Ranger Guide and as the Young Leader of a Brownie pack.
I wanted to be a teacher from pre-school, but initially thought I would study history. 

It was my amazing GCSE and A level geography teacher, Mr George, who changed my mind. 

I applied to study geography and physics at Lancaster University, but was horrified to find on results day that I had only achieved an E in geography, despite being predicted an A! 
At this time you applied to Universities and Polytechnics separately, so I called my first choice Polytechnic and was delighted to be
accepted to study Geographical Sciences.

By the time I arrived, Plymouth Polytechnic had become Polytechnic South West, then I actually graduated from the University of Plymouth in 1993 with a 2:1. I stayed in Plymouth to complete my PGCE at Marjon University, including placements in Plymstock and Bodmin.

What has your career been?

I would have loved to stay in Plymouth to teach, but no suitable jobs came up. 

My first teaching position was at Holyrood School in Chard, Somerset, where I taught yr 7-13 geography and also GNVQ Intermediate Leisure and Tourism. After a year I was given responsibility for the National Curriculum theme of Environmental Education, which came with a small pay rise. 
I also completed a MEd in School Effectiveness and Improvement with a group of teachers from Somerset – my PGCE had included little theory and I felt that I needed to learn more about the art and practice of reaching.

After four years and a term in Chard I moved to The King Alfred School, picking up the Head of Geography role in January 1999. 26 years later I am still Head of Geography at King Alf’s – I fell for the school and haven’t found another role I would rather do. 

King Alf’s is the only school serving the communities of Highbridge, Burnham on Sea and surrounding villages, so it is a true community school with wonderful staff. We have been through some difficult times over the years, but always look after each other. Whilst I may have been in the same school role for a long time, I have had many opportunities to be involved in different projects and adventures, often through the
Geographical Association. 

My first foray into writing was an article based on my MEd research for ‘Teaching Geography’ back in 2000. 
I have since written a range of articles, including co-authoring an article for ‘Primary Geography’, and have also written toolkit books,  and a chapter in the ‘Secondary Geography Handbook’ along with other resources. 
Most recently, in 2024 my book on 'Teaching Climate Change' written with Andrew Taylor, was published by the GA. 

I have also presented CPD for the GA, including the ‘Quality Geography for Non-Specialists’ course
which I currently lead twice a year.

My work for the GA led to other opportunities, including contributing to a GCSE textbook for OUP, a KS3 textbook for Hodder and a GCSE revision guide for Clear Revise. 

I have written many resources for Tutor2U and thoroughly enjoy presenting some of their Revision Blasts
on YouTube. 

I am also very active on social media with the handle @GeogMum reflecting
the importance of geography, teaching and my family to me.

The project which has meant most to me is my work with a group of schools in Uganda. When Seb Witts joined my department in 2014 he told me about St Charles Lwanga School in Kampala, where he had worked for 18 months. We gained funding from the GA Initiatives Fund (GAIF)  to bring the Headteacher, Benedict Ssaazi, to the UK in 2015, then gained funding from the Royal Geographical Society and King Alf’s to visit Uganda in 2016. 

This was the first of three visits, during which we worked with a group of schools on projects including questioning in the classroom and teachers observing each other and providing constructive feedback. In 2018 we held a one day Geographical Association conference at Good Times Primary School, with speakers from the Education Department and workshops hosted by local teachers as well as me and Seb. The Kasubi group of schools continues to collaborate on a wide range of projects and Seb took students from his current school to visit them in 2025.

We are also proud as a department to have achieved the Secondary Geography Quality Mark and Centre of Excellence from the GA.


What was your job when your became President?

I am currently Head of Geography at The King Alfred School an Academy on a 0.8 contract, doing consultancy work on my non-teaching day each week.

What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it? 
What had been your involvement with the GA leading up to that time?

I joined the GA as a PGCE student in 1993 and attended my first GA Conference in Southampton in 1995 – I have only missed a handful of conferences since then. I wanted to get more involved in the GA, so when I saw an advertisement for members for a working group on Leisure and Tourism in GA News I expressed interest. 
This group was ably led by Alan Marvell and I was a member for several years, until qualifications moved on and the group was no longer needed. I wanted to be involved with the GA, but found it hard to get a toehold. Following a lecture by Eleanor Rawling at a GA conference in 2007, where she encouraged members to become more active in the GA, I approached Eleanor, sharing my frustrations. Eleanor took me out of the lecture theatre and up to the first working group stand – the International Working Group. 

She introduced me to the Chair, Kevin Cook, asking if I could join. 

GA International SIG - Kevin Cook far left

I am so grateful to Eleanor for this, as I not only became more involved with the GA, but also met my ‘Geography Uncles’ Kevin Cook and Adam Nichols, who have given me so much support and encouragement. I became the Secretary of the group, then Vice-Chair, then Chair. Becoming Chair meant I joined the Education Group, learning more about the GA as a whole and having the opportunity to be involved in more discussions and projects. Throughout this time I had also become more involved as a  consultant to the GA, as described previously.
I also sit on the Publications Board and joined the Board of Trustees when I became Vice-President.

Kevin and Adam always joked that I was a future GA President, but I couldn’t see how I could take on the role whilst also being a classroom teacher. The increase in the use of technology from meetings and communication during COVID times solved the problem of being closely involved with an organisation based in Sheffield whilst being based in Somerset myself. 

L-R: Denise, Hina, Susan and Catherine

I was delighted when first Denise, then Hina, were elected as President whilst still in the classroom. With my children becoming adults, I felt it was time to put myself forward. 

I chose the theme of ‘Geography makes a Difference’ for three reasons:
  • Learning about the world makes a difference to our students. Some will be fascinated to learn about concepts and processes which enable them to make sense of the complex world around them. Others will be frustrated when they learn about issues and inequalities, developing a passion for tackling challenges which may shape the direction of their lives. Gaining knowledge of the world whilst developing geospatial, green and transferable skills can also make a difference to students by increasing their employability.
  • A high quality geography education is particularly important for students who experience disadvantage in education. Students who haven’t had the opportunity to travel, learn about different people and places and the geography curriculum can be designed to enhance cultural capital. Fieldwork takes students to contrasting locations where they can learn how to work in different contexts as well as developing their geographical skills. This learning can make a difference to our students life chances, giving them confidence to navigate their way through the world.
  •  Issues facing us can seem scary and the future uncertain. Geography makes a difference by giving students a space to learn about and discuss issues, supporting their well being. This is particularly important in relation to the Climate Crisis – geography allows us to explore the causes of this crisis and its different impacts, but also empowers us to ask questions and make choices to work towards tackling it.
I hope that this theme will encourage geography educators to reflect on their practice and consider the difference geography makes. 
How can we maximise the benefits of studying geography? How do we share ideas about how to make a difference through geography?

Why does the GA matter to you?

The GA matters to me because it encourages geography educators to work together to be the best they can be. It provides a voice for geography educators – we are stronger together.

Past Presidents Susan Pike and Gill Miller have been extremely supportive of my decision to put my name forward to be President and Gill helped me come up with my Presidential Theme. It is such a shame that both of their conferences had to be online due to COVID – they are both such great geographers, leaders and role models.
Hina and Denise have also been wonderful in showing me the ropes, and with Fiona to come after me, we make a great team!


Denise, Catherine, Hina and Fiona - the Presidential team


Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Thought for the Day

From the GA President for 1972, teacher Alan D Nicholls.

"We see the demands on the teacher changing, and in particular his [sic] former role in describing the world is usurped by the television, radio and cinema. 

Now he has to equip his pupils to live critically and, if possible, creatively in this smaller, new world of the jet plane and computer.

 This I think is a powerful argument that a sabbatical year for travel should be provided so that they, having seen something of the world for themselves, can correct wrong impressions which their pupils may have received from the various media."

NICHOLLS, A. D. “Environmental Studies in Schools.” Geography, vol. 58, no. 3, 1973, pp. 197–206. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40568109. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Friday, 27 August 2021

2020: Dr Susan Pike

Updated August 2025

Dr Susan Pike is Assistant Professor (Education) at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and was previously Lecturer in Geography Education in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at the Institute of Education in Dublin City University, in the Republic of Ireland. 

She moved to Ireland from England in 2000.

School and University
Susan had a shaky start with geography. 

She remembers copying off the board in primary school in Scotland and learning off examination answers and standing up when getting questions wrong in secondary school in England. Luckily for her last year of A level, she had an inspiring teacher Mrs Fairclough, as she remembers

"Jane was amazing, she realised very quickly we had pretty poor experiences of Geography so far. She listened to our complaints, and acted upon them! She took is out on fieldwork, passing on her passion for Geography and the environment. She was so caring, she also persuaded me to apply for university, something I had never considered before. For this I remain so grateful to her." 

Susan attended Nottingham University's School of Geography from 1987. One of her lecturers was Professor John Cole. Susan had lovely memories of him: 

"As geography students we were a social lot, most of the class went out on Thursday nights to Rock City. But we were all there at 9 am on Fridays for his 'Developing World' lectures. He was so interesting, teaching us geography through story. I was very lucky to have him as my tutor in 2nd Year, through his stories and questions, he never failed to get us thinking geographically". 

Her other memorable lecturers were numerous, and included Dr Catherine Delano-Smith and Professor Louise Crewe. Over the past 20 years Susan has designed and taught on a range of modules in Geography,

Teaching
After graduating, Susan worked for Compassion in World Farming for three years, hence the idea for her GA Conference theme in 2021. She worked in all sections, from despatch to campaigns but also knew that she wanted to move on and teach. 
She gained a place on the PGCE at the University of Southampton, and her tutor was Professor Nick Foskett. She had very positive experiences at Southampton. 

"I was so fortunate on the PGCE. My tutor was Nick, who was so dedicated to his role. he really cared for us all. At Bournemouth School for Boys, we were treated with such care, as we were the first PGCE students there and at Oaklands Community School in Southampton, the same was so as they always took students." 

During this time Susan realised the importance of her subject association:

"I was always aware of the GA, having read Geography at university. But on the first day of our PGCE, Nick told us to join the GA and that the Conference would be in Southampton that year, so I joined and went the Conference. I remember being 'star-struck' by meeting so many of the people whose work I had read. And they were all so lovely!" 

Susan worked at King Richard School in Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, then back to Oaklands Community School in Southampton. All whilst completing her Masters in Geographical and Environmental Education at Southampton. She then became Head of Geography at Hayling School near Portsmouth. She fondly remembers all the roles she held as well as the students and teachers she worked for. 

"I was so fortunate to work in great schools, with such dedicated teachers. All the school I worked in were challenging in terms of the issues some students' experiences, but luckily as a geography teacher you were able to link the learning to the students' lives and engage them. Most of them eventually liked geography and many did better than they thought they would at GCSE! We also went on many trips, working out the very cheapest ways to travel, from down to the local beach or shops and all the way to EuroDisney and the Christmas Markets in Germany." 

Working in teacher education.
Susan continued to be a member of the GA, and on moving to Ireland and working in teacher education, she started writing for the GA. She first wrote about research on children's national identity in Primary Geography in 2001. She went on to become more involved in the work of primary geographers, presenting at several GA Conferences, Geography Teacher Educators' Conferences and Charney Primary Geography Conferences. 
During this time Susan completed her doctorate in education at Queen's University Belfast as well as other published research in geography education and teacher education. As can be seen from her DCU profile, she has written numerous books, papers, chapters and resources all related to geography and geography teacher education. She is also on the Committee of the Geography Society of Ireland, a member of the Geography Education Research Collective (GERECO), the editorial board of International Research in Geography and Environmental Education (IRGEE). 

Susan and the GA Presidential Role 
Over time, Susan became more involved in the work of the GA. In 2016 Susan's first book was published, 'Learning Primary Geography: Ideas and Inspirations from Classrooms', featuring theory and practice in primary geography. Over this time Susan wrote articles, many with teachers for Primary Geography. 
She received the Geographical Association Award for Excellence in 2016. 
She worked extremely hard as Secretary of the GA’s Early Years and Primary Phase Committee from 2017. She then became Junior Vice President in 2018. 
Over the past two years she has chaired the GA’s Education Group meetings for the last year in her role as GA Vice-President and President, and is currently a GA Trustee. Susan’s 2021 Presidential theme of ‘Compassionate Geographies’ grew in significance and resonance since it was first announced, as we all became increasingly aware of our own personal geographies and connections with others. The Conference, held online, was a great success. Session downloads are still available to obtain by those who attended, and can be purchased by those who didn't attend the event. Susan was delighted about how the Conference went: 

"Thanks to all the GA member and staff who got involved, the event went as well as it could! The keynote speakers, the workshops and lectures as well as the Wonder Room were all wonderful." 

The online format of the conference allowed those who could not normally attend the event to come along. As Susan says:

"My original reasons for wanting to become President were to encourage more people to get involved in the Association, as the restrictions this year has actually helped this process. I think people are more likely to say they can volunteer for the GA, as it's been easier to meet up online. However, I also know folk are really looking forward to seeing each other for real! There's also more to do to make the GA more diverse and inclusive, but we are all working on that as you can see in each issue of GA News. It's been a strange year to be GA President, but I've enjoyed every moment of it. It has been a privilege everyday. Luckily I was in the presidential cycle for the two years before, working with Education Group and Governing Body before our movements were restricted. However, there are many GA members I've only really got to know online, many of whom have become more involved in the Association. All of them are so dedicated to the Association and promoting and developing geography in their settings. So, like many of us, I am really looking forward to Conference in 2022, for many missed cups of coffee and chats, as well as the quiz, BeerMeet and other events in Guildford!" 

As she steps down from being GA President, she is looking forward to continuing her work for the GA, as a member of Governing Body and working on various projects for the Association. Most of all she is looking forward to linking up her students with schools, principals, teachers and children again, something that has been impossible recently. 



Images copyright: Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association - the next images were provided by Susan Pike.


Susan with teachers involved in Learning Primary Geography, and Dr Harold Hislop, Chief Inspector of Schools in Ireland in 2016



Some of Susan's Geography Specialism students at the GA Conference in 2017


Some of Susan's BEd2 students 2011, out of fieldwork with Barnaby Bear


Rethinking risk by making fire with BEd3 students at DCU, 2018

References

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

2015: Steve Rawlinson

Steve Rawlinson was a Principal Lecturer in Primary Geography Education at the University of Northumbria. 
He is now retired, but is still involved with GA committees and the creation of 'Primary Geography' magazine.

“GEOGRAPHY IS A SUBJECT THAT BECOMES A WAY OF LIFE.”
This was at the forefront of Steve's GA Presidential lecture in April 2016.
His lecture can be viewed here on SlidePlayer (note the 115 slides... that's one to aim to beat...)

I'd also like to thanks Steve as he was one of the people who were involved in me ultimately becoming the Junior Vice President of the GA. 

Here's Rebecca Priest's
summary of Steve's Presidential Lecture from the OUP blog:

Steve Rawlinson’s Presidential Lecture set the tone for the whole conference. He spoke on the topic of ‘making connections’, by drawing on experiences from his own life and career. Steve encouraged every person in the room to think about their own connections with geography and how they can inspire and discover the geographical connections of those whom they teach.

He spoke first of ‘personal connections’ to geography and how it is important to take a step back from our busy lives as teachers and reflect on how people, places and events have affected our own personal geographies. This can be as simple as thinking about landscapes that have inspired your love of the subject or appreciating the professional relationships you have fostered and how these have shaped your understanding and your career. He then moved on to make an important point about ‘curriculum connections’ which emphasized how the integrated nature of our subject is at its core. This inherent characteristic of geography should not be undervalued and Steve made historical, cultural, technological, scientific, economic and artistic connections to just one of his favourite places; the mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales. This has inspired me to take the time to think of one of my favourite places and to make as many interdisciplinary connections to it as I can – geography has the ability to connect many different elements of the world. The lecture ended with the notion of ‘future connections’ and how the future of geography, of teachers and of our pupils needs to be carefully nurtured.

Steve left us with this: geography is a subject that becomes a way of life – embrace it, and yours and the life of the children and young people you teach will be richer because of it.


Steve is an Honorary Member of the Geographical Association.
He is also Chair of the Primary Geography Editorial Board
Geographical Association Primary Geography Champion
Consultant to the Geographical Association
Fellow of Royal Geographical Society

http://www.rgs.org/

Steve kindly wrote a detailed summary of his experiences with the GA and it is used for the main body of this blog entry.

As with some of the more recent Presidents, Steve is on Twitter
I'm assuming Dudley Stamp would have been as well :)


Image supplied by: Steve Rawlinson

The following text was also provided by Steve.

When and where were you born? 
"Weston Turville in Buckinghamshire in the early 50’s. The village used to be the centre of the Aylesbury Duck industry. The village pond was still a feature when I was young. It was a very typical Buckinghamshire village where everyone knew everyone."

Career details:
1963-1970 – Aylesbury Technical High School (now the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar school) 
1970 – 1973 – University College of Wales Aberystwyth – BSc Geography 
1973 – 1974 – Assistant lecturer in Geography and Statistics – Cassio College Watford 
1974- 1975 – University College of Wales Aberystwyth - MSc in Biogeography. University demonstrator 
1975 – 1991 – Senior Lecturer in Geography & Environmental Studies – Cricklade Community College, Andover – teaching all ages primary, secondary and up to and including senior citizens! 
1991 – 2012 – Principal Lecturer in Geography Education – teaching on Primary ITE (PGCE & UG), & UG Geography. Also Senior admissions tutor – responsible for admissions to all education courses (Primary and Secondary). 
2008 – present became Chair of the Primary Geography Editorial Board 
2012 Retired – became GA consultant, continued with work on Primary Geography Quality Mark and as Chair of the Primary Geography Editorial Board. Member of the Geography Expert Group. 
2012 -16 Member of the DfE Geography Expert Group. 
2013 Elected as Junior Vice President of GA 
2015-2016 President of GA. 
2018 – present – Member of the WorldWise Committee 
2020 – awarded Honorary Membership of the GA 

Where did you go to school/university? 
"I went to the local primary school, just a mile from my house, and for a while was taught by the same Headmaster and his wife as taught my mother and father. Johnny Lawton described himself as ‘a nice kind man with a nice kind face’. Though his strict disciplinary tactics made some of us question this! He probably started my interest in the environment by the frequent nature walks we undertook around the village. Geography was about drawing maps carefully and of course colouring the sea and the land! I also developed a love for exploration, during the daily walk to school – often resulting in a frantic run as the bell tolled at the start of the school day. No one wanted to be late for school with Mr Lawton waiting by the gate! I passed the 11 plus and rather than going to the local grammar school I went to the Technical High School – now the Sir Henry Floyd Grammar school. It rather saddens me to think it lost its ‘technical name’ as this was a new type of school which offered so much. Going to ‘the Tech’ was really at the behest of my father who had dreams of me becoming an engineer like him. But it was an inspired decision because the Tech had a visionary Headmaster who really was ahead of his time. Though another strong disciplinarian he worked hard to offer what we would now call a ‘rounded education’ to everyone and was at pains to avoid gender stereotyping. Boys and girls were positively encouraged to cross gender boundaries. Thus, we had girls in our metalwork and woodwork classes, and I learnt touch typing – a skill for which I am forever grateful. This of course now looks quite revolutionary for the time. Dad’s ambitions for me were thwarted when I struggled with the sciences – I have the distinction of failing chemistry 3 times each time with a lower grade. My A level choices were therefore English, Geography and British Constitution (the latter really coming in handy with the Brexit discussions!).

Geography was chosen because of an inspirational teacher – Mr Geography Green (yes, we also had a Mr History Green!). He had a way of bringing the subject to life even if he was constrained by a very rigid syllabus. I well remember ‘doing’ the whole of the USSR and SE Asia for A level. 

He sent my friend and I to Dale Fort FSC centre for our fieldwork study. There I was enthralled by the enthusiastic and friendly tutors and found an ambition to be a field tutor – an ambition still unfulfilled though I did build all my teaching around fieldwork. 

I was the first person from the Tech to go to University. Aberystwyth was chosen simply because I had fallen in love with Wales while on holidays with my parents and I wanted to be near the mountains. The presence of the sea was an added bonus – Weston Turville is one of the furthest places from the sea in the country. There followed three very happy years studying under some inspiring if sometimes eccentric lecturers. I initially went to study geology – a foolish decision in retrospect given my chemistry record – and after 6 weeks of struggling with crystallography - changed to geography. 

It was at Aber that I first encountered the GA – the history of geography module had references to the Association and the Aber GA connection with H.J. Fleure. And of course, there was the ever-delightful presence of E.G. Bowen a former president of the Association who did so much to fuel my passion for the subject and teaching – see the entry for E G Bowen. 
I got very involved in the Geography department’s Geog Soc. and was their expeditions officer organising field trips utilising the wealth of knowledge available at the university and outside. This experience was invaluable in my later teaching and running of fieldwork. 
On graduation I got a job in an FE college in Watford which had many resonances with the novel ‘Wilt’ by Tom Sharp. But my mentor, Peter Baker, was wonderfully supportive and somehow, I got through that first year without too many mishaps. It was then that Aber called me back – I got the offer of a research place to study animal diseases under ‘Big Jim’ Taylor – the prospect of another year by the sea visiting farms all across Mid-Wales was too alluring and I blew most of the money I had saved from my first years teaching on taking up the place! My parents thought I was crazy giving up the job in Watford, but it was another good decision. I loved the research year and learnt so much about how academic/research geography works and offers relevance to the wider world. My thesis identified some improvements that vets in the area could make to their strategies for combating animal diseases, which were based less on the physical constraints of the disease but more on the farmers perception of the causes. It was during this work that I shifted from being a physical geographer to one with a behaviourist approach."

What has your career been e.g. teacher / academic / author / other work outside the obvious geography sphere? 

"My first job in Watford on graduation was less a calling but a necessity to get a job. But I loved teaching thanks to the wonderfully supportive colleagues. I think I learnt an important lesson from them – that support during those early years in the profession is crucial. After my MSc year I was lucky enough to be offered a job at Hampshire’s new show college in Andover and there I found myself working with under Geoff Dinkele who was in the middle of writing the 'Reformed Geography' series with Rex Walford and Stephen Hancock. 
Suddenly I was in the middle of a revolution in geography teaching and rubbing shoulders with some of the key people in the subject. It was Geoff who encouraged me to make my first foray into writing with an article on using Lego to represent Population Pyramids which appeared in 'Classroom Geographer'. (See the earlier post which showed this article) 

I was also blessed to have as Principal of the college another visionary. We were encouraged to engage with the wider community in our teaching and as a result my day could find me teaching in the local primary schools in the morning, grappling with A level geography in afternoon and then teaching on the adult education provision in the evening. 
My first job was also at a community school with similar courses.
Running a course on weather forecasting for gardeners sticks in my mind as particularly challenging, but I was never short of vegetables. As a result of my time in Andover I have been lucky enough to have taught all ages and abilities! The GA became a natural part of my work. I ran the local GA WorldWise quiz for many years shamelessly using it as a recruiting tool for geography O and A level! 
Somehow, I managed to run 4 fieldwork courses a year for A levels in Geography and Environmental Education, as well as one for the GCE geography evening class. 
My love of fieldwork seemed to be recognised and encouraged, again thanks to a highly supportive Principal. 
It is really because of this work and my subsequent work at the university that I have led 100+ fieldtrips up Cadair Idris – the mountain where my ashes will be scattered when the time comes! 
The retirement of the Principal who had appointed me signalled changes in the college which I began to get uneasy about and resulted in the move to Northumbria University to take up the post of Senior Lecturer in Primary Geography Education. It was a speculative application based really on the desire to live ‘up north’ following a number of holidays in the area. Another lucky decision. I was teamed with a brilliant humanities team and an incredibly effervescent geography colleague – Liz Essex-Cater. 
I had never enjoyed a working relationship like the one we forged – we often talk about teamwork, but I like to think Liz and I took it to a different level – we were able to complement each other’s skills and knowledge to the extent as one ran out of the steam the other was able to take over seamlessly. We brought different skills to our role: Liz loved timetabling which I hated; she did not enjoy organising fieldwork which I found easy. So, our relationship enabled us to bring a high level of enthusiasm and a variety of experiences to our students. We both worked on and were members of the committee for the local GA so the links with the Association continued. 

We presented our first contribution at one of the LSE conferences – remember those paternoster lifts? 
In 2004 Liz attended the Charney Primary Geography conference and encouraged me to go the next year and that started a long-standing relationship with that wonderful community. I now find myself part of the co-ordinating group organising the annual event in Oxfordshire which has become a showcase for all that is excellent about Primary Geography. 
Liz took early retirement to ‘live the dream’ in France and then was cruelly struck by Motor Neurone Disease. I lost my best friend, colleague and critic in one fell swoop and life at the university was never quite the same. 

When I had been appointed, I could not understand why there was no link between the education department and the geography department – it just seemed to make no sense especially as at that time there was shortage of geography teachers – an issue on which Liz and I had researched and written about. It took a while but eventually I was teaching on the fieldwork module undertaken by the 1st year students. This eventually led to me developing and teaching an assessed module on Geography in Education which sought to encourage more geographers to enter teaching. This quickly became an important module for the department and the university in raising their employment on graduation statistics. I am pleased so many other universities are adopting similar approaches to cultivate members of the teacher profession from their home-grown students. Expanding access to education became a theme for the later part of my career at Northumbria, particularly when I gained promotion and became the Admissions Tutor for all education courses in the department. I led courses which specifically sought to encourage Men into Primary Education and Ethnic Minorities into Teaching. This work was undertaken with our Access department which offered adults non-standard routes into the university – another example of how innovative courses can lead to having a home-grown market for teaching. We were so successful in this work that we were praised by Ofsted for the number of high-quality mature students we consistently attracted onto our courses. 

A spin off from this work was the development of a link with the London Borough of Newham which saw all our undergraduate and postgraduate students on education courses benefitting from an experience of working in the Borough’s schools. This experience was highly praised by Ofsted and saw us become an official London provider of teachers – which felt a little ironic as we were one of the most distant providers in England for the capital! 
Fieldwork continued to be the golden thread through all of my teaching. Modules on all courses were based around giving students the confidence to take children outside and provide a variety of experiences in different environments. This led to both articles and conference presentations which got me increasingly engaged with the national GA community, a move not always positively received by the Senior Management – who did not seem to appreciate how important those contributions were to me both personally and professionally. 

Change is inevitable in education and sadly the university decided that it wanted to raise its status in the research field, and as a result abandoned all those innovative approaches to access opportunities, which had gained it such a high reputation in the local area. As the wonderfully satisfying work I was doing with my admissions hat on began to get closed down, and my geography work was increasingly having to be undertaken under the management radar, the job became less attractive and more demanding in ways that were not ‘me’. 
A voluntary redundancy package offered a way out which I eagerly took. 
The prospect of more time to do what I wanted, when I wanted it coupled with the lure of the nearby Northumberland hills was too a good a chance to overlook. 
In 2012 I left Northumbria and entered retirement..."

Image: Bryan Ledgard

What was your job when you became President? 

"I became President in 2015 so I had three years of enjoying exploring the glorious Northumberland countryside, and pursuing aspects of geography that I had not had time for before retirement. I had become Chair of the Primary Geography editorial board in 2008 and now I had a bit more time for this work. I felt it was particularly important to try to shape the journal to changing needs and demands and ensuring a strong voice for primary geography within the Association and beyond. The GA continued to be an important part of my life – I continued to attend conference and work with the local GA. I was also a moderator for the Primary Geography Quality Mark – work I found to be incredibly inspiring, and which kept me firmly in touch with schools and the changing primary world, even though I was theoretically ‘retired’. 
It was especially rewarding to help schools achieve the award and to see departments thrive in not always inspiring circumstances. The resilience of geography teachers, and their ability to enthuse the children in their care never fails to humble me. 
But the most significant change that occurred after I retired was a strengthening friendship with Paula, Sharon and Tess which was to blossom into the WildThinkers research group. 

I cannot thank them enough for all the inspiration they gave me and how they slowly and subtly changed my thinking, opening my eyes to a whole new world of geography. I look back on my career and think how I could have done things so much better now I know what I know… I am not quite sure when the plot developed to nominate me for President. 

I know there was some talk at a Charney conference but how it all became a reality and who was ultimately responsible I can’t really remember. The reality struck me for the first time at the Derby conference when it was announced that I was the next Junior Vice President. From the reaction it was clear I had a lot to do to convince others I was up to the job! I hope subsequent events have vindicated the decision to vote me in."

What theme did you choose when President, and why did you pick it? 
What had been your involvement with the GA leading up to that time, and since that time? 

"I chose the theme of Making Geographical Connections. This is the piece advertising the conference which explains the theme. 

I am looking forward to welcoming you to the 2016 Annual GA Conference in Derby, which will explore the connections that give geography its dynamism and relevance to the lives of our students, whatever their age and ambition. By its very nature geography is a ‘connected subject’ with obvious spatial and temporal links across many subjects as well as connections to research in a variety of fields, ranging from emotional, cultural and socio-economic environments to climate change and glaciology. The Annual Conference is an opportunity to not only celebrate and share those links which we have developed in all phases and across all areas, but also consider future connections that could and should be made. It provides an arena for considering questions such as: 
• How do young children connect with the world around them and how could this change in the future? 
• Our older students appear to be globally connected via technology, but how does this impact upon their knowledge and understanding of geography? 
• What is the nature of the connections we, as professionals, make that influence the content and approaches to our teaching? 
• How can we become ‘better connected’ and how can we achieve this? 
The theme asks important questions about the nature, development and future of our subject. Contributions from all sectors of the geographical community are welcomed to encourage a shared understanding of geography and its vital place in education. It would be especially valuable to have examples of how a connection with geography has offered a pathway, and utility, to other professions. The Conference will offer something for all those connected with geography, from the EYFS teacher to the academic researcher. Don’t miss it! 
Steve Rawlinson GA Senior Vice President 2014-15 

Being elected as President of the GA by the members is both an honour and privilege which I never really expected."

Memories of the conference 2016 - Manchester 
"Within days of becoming President in Sept 2015 I faced my first crisis – we had to pull out of our planned commitment to holding the conference at Derby. A pity as Derby was my favourite conference venue.

Luckily, Manchester became a viable alternative and indeed looking back, Derby’s loss was our gain. The centre at Manchester was an exciting location, the facilities excellent and the conference was a great success. The sessions were inspiring and the exhibition one of the best we had held, the facilities at Manchester provided exhibitors with a really stunning space to show off their wares. And everything went off like clockwork thanks to the incredible planning and attention to detail of all the staff at HQ but especially Lucy Oxley, who was the dynamo behind the scenes. 
My other memories of the conference include: 
• The Young Geographers event (guided by the ever supportive and much missed Mike Bradford and facilitated by the staff at Manchester University) - we invited Myra Rose Craig (@Bird Girl) to address the young students. She has gone on to make a name for herself in many fields 
• The conference dinner held underneath the dinosaur in the museum 
• The amazing buzz of excitement and inspiration that persisted throughout the three days and meeting so many enthusiastic geographers – there really is something about being part of the geography community. 
• Bringing a dog into the conference – my chosen charity was Dogs for Good and we were delighted to have one of their trainees join us – he caused quite a stir wherever he went as he knew how to play to the crowd. 
• Thoroughly enjoying giving the presidential lecture, despite the hours spent planning it. It is probably the one thing that people remember from your year as President so getting it right is so important. As I got into my stride on the morning, I suddenly realised I did not need my copious notes. I hope people remember my lecture for more than the fact that I threw them across the stage! 
• Having my daughter at the event – she was the only member of my family able to be there at that time, but I know my parents would have been so proud. 
• Seeing people leaving the conference enthused and excited about their subject and eager to put into practice what they had picked up."

What would you say were the successes / main memories of your GA Presidential year? 
"What were my successes? 
I think that is for others to judge but my own thoughts include: 
• Raising the profile of primary geography both within and outside the Association and encouraging others from the primary field to step into the Presidency role – which of course has happened with Stephen Scoffham and Susan Pike 
• Bringing a touch of humanity to the Association, in the way it works and trying to make it more welcoming and accessible for everyone. Interesting that this has now become a major initiative with the positive attempts to broaden representation. 
• Trying to bring more transparency in decision making and ensuring the Association really does represent all its members. 
• Bringing some fun and creativity into geography at all levels."

Memories of being president. 
"Aside from the frantic but inspiring three days of the conference my other memories of being president include: 
• Working with the wonderfully supportive team at Solly Street to further the cause of geography in all our schools. Their dedication to the cause is second to none. 
• Visiting branches and engaging with geographers and geography teachers doing some inspiring work with young people. 
• Visiting schools to see what was happening at grass roots level to ensure I was grounded in reality. 
• Representing the Association at a number of events e.g. Scottish Association of Geography Teachers where I made so many good friends and is a conference I always go out of my way to attend still 
• Being at the centre of a thriving community both leading and supporting teachers to instil in others my own love of our subject. 
• Great sadness when it all came to an end and a feeling that I could do an even better job if I were start again… "

Involvement with the GA since being President:
"I have to confess that once I left the Presidential group, I felt rather bereft. From being at the centre of things, one moves to the periphery and it does leave a bit of a void. I do think that greater use could be made by the Association of the expertise and experience embedded in the body of Past Presidents. Some moves have been made in this direction but it would be good to see these develop further for everyone’s benefit. I continue to be very honoured to be part of the Primary Geography editorial team. I feel that we have developed a style and approach to the journal which makes it stand out and offer leadership to all primary teachers. It is the only journal of its type in the world, so we have a big responsibility! The team have worked hard to ensure that contributions come in from a wide spectrum of authors, schools and of course children – we strive to ensure that children’s voices are heard e.g. ten-year-old Aedhan Brown probably never dreamed that his story would spread across LEGO Foundations and enthusiasts around the world. Winner of Liberty’s ‘Human Rights Young Person of the Year’ Award and The Herald’s ‘Public Campaigner of the year’
Martha Payne had won numerous awards for her NeverSeconds blog, the subject of a BBC documentary, fêted by celebrity chefs, and raised nearly £130,000 for the charity ‘Mary’s Meals’ and had her own book out. She was ten years old when she was interviewed. We are also very pleased to have had a kind of ‘who’s who’ of ‘celebrity’ contributors. 
There are some big names in the list as well as rising stars e.g. in the last edition we interviewed teenagers Amy and Ella Meek, founders of Kids Against Plastic. 
Our list of luminaries includes Simon Reeve, Rob Macfarlane, Tim Marshall, Dame Alison Peacock, Justine Greening, when she was Secretary of State for International Development, Commander Chris Hadfield, actor Timothy Spall, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Michael Rosen, Christopher Somerville, Steve Backshall, Alastair Humphreys and Satish Kumar to name but a few! 
We are also especially pleased to have interviewed members of minority groups such as Sascha Kindred OBE paralympian, and (then) 14-year-old zoologist Kabir Kaul. 
I have recently become part of the WorldWise team and am enjoying the challenges and opportunities that working with young people in that context presents. It is an aspect of GA work which is inspiring and should have greater recognition both inside the Association and without – something I hope I can help achieve. When you are elected as President of the GA you wonder how anything can top that - where else is there to go as a geographer and teacher? 
So, it was an amazing honour to receive, in 2020, the Association’s highest honour – Honorary Membership. That was a really proud moment and one I will never forget. 

Why does the GA matter to you? 
• It has been a way of life and a constant for me throughout my career. 
• It provided the occasions and opportunities to meet some of the most wonderful colleagues and friends who I continue to work with and whose company I enjoy 
• It gave me the support and opportunities that would otherwise would have passed me by 
• Expanded my horizons and developed my thinking – I would not now be working on a book with a colleague if it were not for the experiences the GA gave me 
• I got involved at university, supported it throughout my teaching career, held a variety of posts with my local branch and of course became the President. I cannot encourage young geographers enough to take up membership and become involved…it is a doorway to so many paths for your career. I still find it hard to believe that my name appears alongside so many giants of the geography world – I am both proud and humbled to be in such company. "

Teaching/Research Interests: 
• Developing awareness of the value of fieldwork in the primary sector 
• The development of all aspects of environmental education within the curriculum, and the link with outdoor education 
• Promoting excellence in Primary Geography teaching via research and chairing the Primary Geography Editorial Board 
• Developing and delivering CPD programmes based around the Wildthink approach 
• Looking for fun and happiness in all my continuing geography adventures and promoting this wherever and whenever I can 
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than exploring the more remote, secret and wilder places of the British Isles with my dog, especially the border country in my home county of Northumbria. I am always very happy to share this love of the outdoors and its mysteries with friends and colleagues. 
Steve’s Desert island discs: 
"Crispian St Peters – You Were on my Mind  – Weston Turville Memories – audio lessons with dad – this was the test record used on our sound equipment 
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven  – Aberystwyth Memories – most memorable concert while a student in the now vanished King’s hall 
Kate Bush – Them heavy people from the album the Kick inside  – Andover Memories – taking students up Cadair Idris on fieldwork. 
One group bought this album for me and this song with the lyric ‘Rolling the ball’ became the anthem for all future parties sung on the way up 
Queen – These are the Days of our Lives - Andover – watching Live Aid with my daughter – went out and bought Queen albums as result of performance. 
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run – Newcastle Memories – running the great north run – annual event of personal significance to me as I have ‘run’ it 24 times 
Holst – Mars from the Planet Suite - Weston Turville Memories – listening to classical music with my granddad on a home-built record player and big bass reflex speaker. He could play the piano – I tried the violin but failed. 
The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh what a night) - Andover Memories - meeting Sally, my wife The Who – Tommy - Newcastle Memories – taking my eldest daughter to her first musical 
The one disc I would save would be ‘These are the days of our lives’ by Queen simply for its optimism My book would be Wainwright's complete Lake District guides so I can capture the feel of wild places 
My luxury would be a complete set of 1:25000 OS maps so I can revisit past adventures in the hills and plan those I will undertake when I finally escape." 

References
Rawlinson, S. & Willy, T. (2019) Introduction. In Willy, T. (Ed) Leading Primary Geography Sheffield: Geographical Association, 7-15 
Rawlinson, S. (2019) Celebrating 30 Years of Primary Geography GA Magazine 42, p24 
Rawlinson, S. & Willy, T. (2019) Editorial. Primary Geography 99, p4-5 
Ballin, B., Owens, P., Rawlinson, S. & Willy, T. (2019) Graveyard Geography Primary Geography (98), pp16-17 
Rawlinson, S. (2017) From Charney to President. In Catling, S (Ed). In Reflections on Primary Geography. Sheffield: The Register of Research in Primary Geography, 28-36 
Rawlinson, S. (2016) It's all a matter of connections...', Primary Geography (91), pp5-6 
Rawlinson, S. (2011) Look to the Future’ Primary Geography, 74 pp 5-6 
Martin, F & Rawlinson, S. (2009) Britain and Britishness Primary Geographer, Summer, pp 6-7 
Catling, S. et al (2007) Education Matters: The State of Geography in English Primary Schools Geography, 92 (2), pp118-136 
Boyle, A et al (2007) Fieldwork is good: the student perception and the affective domain, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, Vol 31 (2) pp299-317 
Rawlinson, S., Essex-Cater, E., Bolden, D., Constable, H., (2003) Have Geographers Lost Their Way? Issues Relating to the Recruitment of Geographers into School Teaching Journal of Geography in Higher Education, Vol. 27(1), pp39-56 
Rawlinson, S. & Soni, V. (2002) Improving the Recruitment of Ethnic Minorities into Primary Teaching; Developments in the North-East of England in Emerging Issues in Teacher Supply and Retention Proceedings of the second conference of the Teacher Supply and Retention Project, North London University, an IPSE publication. 
Fuller, I., Rawlinson, S., & Bevan, R. (2000) An Evaluation of Students Learning Experiences in Physical Geography Fieldwork: Fluvial Studies. Paddling or Pedagogy?” Journal of Geography in Higher Education. Vol. 24 (2), pp. 199-215 
Book contributions 
Rawlinson, S. & Willy, T. (2019) Introduction. In Willy, T. (Ed) Leading Primary Geography Sheffield: Geographical Association, 7-15 
Rawlinson, S. & Essex-Cater, E. (2010) revised chapter on Environmental Geography in Scoffham, S. (2010) Primary Geography Handbook The Geographical Association. 
Rawlinson, S. & Essex-Cater, E. (2005) Chapter on Environmental Geography in Scoffham, S. (2005) Primary Geography Handbook The Geographical Association. 
Rawlinson, S. (2004) ‘Don’t forget the Trainees: Issues relating to the Recruitment of Geographers into Primary Teaching’ Special Publication No 1 Researching Primary Geography Ed 
Simon Catling and Fran Martin Conference papers: February 2021 Gathering the Light: MindWalking, presented at the Charney Primary Geography Conference February 2017 
The Machine Stops: exploring children’s futures through storytelling, presented with Tessa Willy at the Charney Primary Geography conference April 2016 
Presidential Address: Making Geographical Connections presented at GA Annual Conference, Manchester February 2016 
Every picture tells a story presented at the Charney Manor Primary Geography Conference. April 2012 The Sensual Geographies of Difference presented at the GA Annual Conference, Manchester April 2010 Living Geography: 8 Ways thinking with iPods and new technology, Presented at GA Annual Conference, Derby April 2009 
Living Geography – 8 Way Thinking; Evolution and Evaluation. Presented at Geographical Association’s Annual Conference, Manchester February 2009 
Primary ITE Recruitment: Issues, quality and retention. Presented at Charney Manor Primary Geography conference April 2008 
Living Geography - 8 Ways Fieldwork. Presented at Geographical Association's Annual Conference, Guildford Feb 2005 
Developing the Fieldwork Experience of Trainees; some thoughts and approaches. Presented at Charney Manor Primary Geography conference June 2004 
Encouraging Students to Consider Teaching as a Career. Presented with Cath White at the IGU Congress Glasgow March 2004 
So You Want to Teach? Or how we get the students in! Presented at the Charney Manor conference – Enhancing Primary Geography Sept 2003 
Change and the Newcastle Quayside: a report on at TTA funded initiative to encourage more students into teaching. Presented with Catherine White at the RGS Annual Conference, London June 2001 
Where Have All the Geographers Gone? Presented with Liz Essex-Carter at the conference on Teacher Supply and Retention: Emerging Issues North London University April 1998 
Geographical Simulations within the context of Fieldwork: A Northumberland Experience Presented at the Geographical Association’s Annual Conference, University of Leeds. April 1997 
You Can Do It Too - introducing environmental education in primary schools Presented with Liz Essex Cater at the Geographical Association Annual conference, LSE 

Top image copyright: Bryan Ledgard / Steve Rawlinson
As always, memories of Steve Rawlinson and his time as GA President welcome.

Monday, 8 February 2021

1999: Professor Michael Bradford

Last updated November 2025

Michael Bradford was a stalwart supporter of the GA for decades, in various capacities, and led on a great many initiatives to promote the subject at all levels throughout his career.
He was Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Manchester.

Some descriptions from Michael's University page:
After an undergraduate degree at St Catharine's College Cambridge, I did postgraduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and completed a PhD at Cambridge. 
My first post was as a Lecturer at the University of Manchester (1971) where eventually I became Professor of Geography. 
My research interests have been on the geographies of education, the geographies of children and urban policy evaluation. 
The underlying themes that tie the work together are inequalities, social exclusion and social polarisation. Similar themes featured in my teaching. I have also completed some pedagogic research and published papers on learning and teaching, and earlier in my career written texts for school geography.

Michael was very much involved in the GA Manchester Branch, which is one of the oldest of the GA Branches, and has previously won a GA Award. He kindly welcomed me when I gave the Herbertson Memorial Lecture in 2008, to over 200 people.

Michael particularly loved the city of Manchester, and led a tour of the city during the most recent GA Conference in the city.
He also attended the 125th anniversary dinner of the GA at Christchurch College, Oxford, which I have blogged about previously.

Sadly, during the compilation of this blog, Michael passed away in July 2019. It was announced on social media at the time and was a catalyst for me contacting other Presidents earlier than I otherwise would have done. I am sorry that I didn't get the chance to chat to Michael about his career in person.





A Celebration of Michael's life was held at the University of Manchester on the 19th of October 2019. It was attended by many people who had been inspired by his work, including a significant number of former GA Presidents.

The Celebration was led by Ashley Kent, Janet Pickering and Derek Spooner, along with Sheila.

Michael had also planned a party that was to take place at the Sports club, where he and Sheila had been members since the late 1970s. Several hundred people had already responded affirmatively to this event, but it was cancelled, as he was very unwell and in the hospital at the end of June. This party was meant to celebrate various things, including he and Sheila's Golden Wedding. 

Sheila told me:

"Michael had outlined what he wanted to be included in his Celebration of Life. He said he wanted it to be at the University, in a lecture theatre and also that there would be a video of him speaking at the beginning of it. I was able to implement almost all of what he wanted. Michael would have loved the reunion of people at the reception following his Celebration of Life."

His obituary, written by another former GA President Derek Spooner (who also introduced his GA Presidential Lecture in 2000) was published in The Guardian, and he explained that Michael may well have had a career on the stage.

In 2003, Chris Kington asked a number of former Presidents what had sparked their passion for geography. He lent me the letters that he received at the time, and here is the response that Michael sent to Chris at the time. It describes a trip to Arran in the company of future Ofsted chief Chris Woodhead.

This contains some memories of particular teachers, including Charles Larkinson. He talks about the importance of travel and holidays.
"A gradual immersion - inspiring teaching - a kind man who drove me to Arran among many kind acts - and a few key moments and walking holidays. Fun and Geography were connected, as were kindness and Geography."
Thanks so much to Chris Kington for the loan of the letters.
In January 2021, I had the chance to chat to Sheila Kaplan Bradford. She was keen to talk through the work that Michael had done through his long career, and also very kindly sent me a number of documents and videos. One of the most entertaining elements was a recording of the speech that Michael gave at the Presidents' Dinner, with plenty of jokes. 
Sheila told me: "I would say that the essence of Michael was his concern for all people. He felt passionately about trying to redress the inequalities and injustices suffered within societies. He was keen to make sure that his philosophy and way of life reflected that strong moral and ethical ideal." 
Michael was born on the 6th December 1944 at St Helier's Hospital, Carshalton in Surrey. He attended Winchcombe County Primary School, Carshalton and Wallington County Grammar School for Boys, followed by studies at St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge, BA Cantab (1964-67) and PhD: thesis (1968-71): Spatial Aspects of Urban Consumer Behaviour 
Between his undergraduate and graduate studies at Cambridge, Michael attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for one year as a post-graduate in the Department of Geography. This experience convinced him that he wanted to pursue a career in teaching and research at University level rather than becoming a secondary school teacher, which had been his original plan. His career took him to a number of institutions and involved some significant achievements:
1971: University of Manchester - Professor of Geography awarded 1997, and Professor Emeritus
1996-2000:  Head of the School of Geography 
2001-2004:  Pro-Vice-Chancellor responsible for Teaching and Learning 
2004-2005 Associate Vice President for Teaching and Learning 
2006-8:   HE Academy: Senior Associate (one-day a week) Jointly led Change Academy sponsored by the HEA and the Leadership Foundation
In this role, Michael visited a range of institutions interacting with staff or giving workshops in relation to Change and Leadership. These included Dundee, Robert Gordon, Bangor, Aston, Sheffield, Lampeter, Plymouth, St Mary’s and Cambridge. In addition Michael led leadership workshops for a national audience for the HEA. These led to some mentoring of staff outside the University of Manchester where he completed many mentoring sessions as part of Manchester Gold, including supporting teachers such as Sue Bermingham.

Distinguished Achievement Medal: Teacher of the Year 2005 at the new University of Manchester. 
HEFCE-funded National Teaching Fellowship 2006 £10,000, a prestigious national award. 
GA Council member: 1992-2001 and 2006-2010 and President 1999-2000.
IBG: 1990-93 Member of the Council of the Institute of British Geographers Secretary of Council’s Education Committee. IBG Conference Officer 1992-95 Member of Council’s Education Committee. RGS/IBG: Invited as Chair of Higher Education Subcommittee with a seat on the Research and Higher Education Division (RGS/IBG) merged society. 
Education Division of RGS/IBG 1998-2002 Research Division. 1998-2004 Member of Council RGS/IBG (elected 2000-3, co-opted before and after)
2000-2003:  Chair of Joint Committee of RGS/IBG – GA
RGS/IBG Study Groups various committees eg HESG 1992-2000
1990-93:  Chair of the Urban Geography Study Group of the IBG - organised resurrection with six meetings and major improvement to finances Awarded by RGS with IBG: 
Taylor and Francis Award for excellence in teaching and learning in geography in higher education. 
Michael was also the HE rep on Dearing’s Slimming of the National curriculum. Vice Chair of Subject Benchmarking Group & QAA auditor. 
1993-6: Developed a new 'A' level and Chaired the Exam Board: NEAB(AQA)
He also had a great many interests outside of his work.Michael was chair of the Bramhall Community Council in the 1980s. This was a new thing and I think they understood what a good overview Michael had of the area and the politics. I think he was viewed as having balanced views of the issues which affected the community. He likely would have been a good councillor, but he became too involved in the University. Michael loved sports and played squash for many years at Grove Park Squash Club, and  very involved in the overall running of Manchester Football Club and Cheadle Hulme Cricket Club. He acted as overall Secretary of the Club for three years. 
Michael's Presidential theme was Pride of Place. 
Sheila told me "An engagement with place was always very significant to Michael. This was true of both of us, which is why I came up with the idea, that Michael loved, that we were like two pieces of Blackpool Rock with Geography [or Geographer] written through us. Michael loved that image. Michael became very involved in the Manchester Branch of the GA. He served as Local Branch President, at least once, if not more, and continued to serve on the committee in different roles including up to the time of his death. He was very supportive of all their activities and took part in all the functions held, such as the World Wise Quiz. He mentored a number of the teachers, who were involved in the GA, both officially and unofficially. He was held in very high regard by all of them. He contributed to the fairly recent publication of a book[let] about the history of the Manchester Branch. He presented the Herbertson Lecture to the Branch and combined meeting with the local Geological Society. He frequently travelled to other GA branches to give presentations to the society. Some of these were on geographical topics and others were about applying to University to study Geography.
One of my most vivid memories is when Michael was asked to dress up as Barnaby Bear for the GA conference and to wander around the exhibit as part of a promotion for Barnaby Bear and the books, and eventual television series. People were supposed to guess which Past President was in the bear costume."
See the previous post on Barnaby Bear for the image of Michael in the Barnaby Bear costume.

Thanks very much to Sheila for her many contributions to this post.
References

A small selection of many references and publications:

1977: "Human Geography: Theories and their Application". Oxford, Oxford University Press, 180pp. (with W.Ashley Kent) over 10 impressions. 
Hardback edition in Zimbabwe, 1991. 
Translated into: 1981 Geografi Manusia. Kuala Lumpur, Penerbit Eajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd, 237pp, Malaysian 1987 Geografia Humana. Lisbon, Gradiva, 2&4pp Portuguese 
This book has become a major text used around the world. 
1993 "Understanding Human Geography: People and their Changing Environments". Oxford, Oxford University Press 320 pp. (with W. Ashley Kent) 
[Geographical Association prize: a significant contribution to Geography]

1979-1994: Michael was a co-editor of a major series for Routledge on Geography and the Environment with Prof. A. Wilson (Leeds), N. Thrift (Bristol) and E.Soja (UCLA). This enabled the dissemination of geographical research. Over the years Michael personally acted as editor of 24 books.

And finally....

Here's Michael and colleagues performing YMCA on the rooftop of the University, which originally had 15 million views before being taken down temporarily...



Images copyright: Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association

As Sheila said: 

"Michael had always been passionate about the subject and promoting it within schools. He was always interested in making sure there were strong links within the education sector - from Primary to Secondary to Higher Education. He felt strongly about how much the GA could contribute to the support for school teachers. Michael just passionately cared about people."

He also introduced a major change to the GA during his time as President, one which ran for over 30 years, and was only changed this year.

As President, Michael set up the Presidents Group ie the Junior Vice, Vice and current President along with the past President would meet several times a year to establish continuity of policy (the group was renamed to the Governance Working Group last year). 

The President's role, he said, is much more than a figurehead role. Michael reviewed and restructured the HQ staff. He helped establish the GA's weebsite. He improved links with the RGS/IBG, and  introduced a day for PGCE students and NQTs at conference. All these and other work set the base for more recent change within the organisation.
This is an important and powerful legacy, for which the GA is grateful to Michael Bradford.

Further memories of Michael and his work would be very welcome.

Update March 2021
Here's Michael and myself stood next to each other after picking up GA Awards back in 2015.


Margaret Mackintosh RIP

Updated post. Sad news at the end of last week from colleagues who have organised the Charney Conference over the years of the passing of Ma...