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.

Storm in the Solent

The 1992 conference saw Eleanor Rawling's GA Conference Dinner. "A Sense of Place on the Solent."

As seen in the programme, this was to be held aboard a ship operated by Blue Funnel Line Cruises. The ticket price of £22.50 got you three hours of sailing, plus a menu which included:

• Breast of Chicken in Cream and White Wine sauce
• Beef Bourgingnon 
• Chef's Sweet of the Day

Also included light entertainment and a bar, and ran from 8.30 - 11.30. It was preceded by a Civic Reception in the Hall of Aviation in Southampton.

Eleanor told me:

I held my Presidential reception on board a boat sailing on the Solent. It was supposed to take people on a cruise around the Isle of Wight and back. However, on the night, there was a gale blowing in the Solent and it was too dangerous to go out round the Isle of Wight, so instead we just went up and down the inner Solent waters.

Image of Solent Sky (new name for Hall of Aviation)

Shared on Flickr under CC license by Alan Wilson - HawkeyeUK

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/50521939502/sizes/c/

From GA News.

Lantern Slides

I was watching the film 'Amundsen' over the weekend, and there were a couple of scenes 'set' in the Royal Geographical Society. 

Roald Amundsen and his brother are explaining the plans for their expedition to the North Pole (before they head South) and use a projector, top right, to show magic lantern slides to some RGS members...

The GA was founded partly to share these slides and help teachers use them to advance their pedagogy.  Good to see them mentioned. 

More on lantern slides to come in the New Year in some other blog posts.

If you have any lantern slides of your own, please feel free to share some images with me.

COBRIG

 COBRIG is the Council of British Geography.  The GA is one of the affiliated organisations.

COBRIG is the organisation which represents all those bodies concerned with geography and geographical education in England, Wales and Scotland.  Northern Ireland is loosely affiliated to COBRIG and efforts are being made to strengthen links.  

Objectives currently are:

• To enable member organisations to exchange information, ideas and views on matters, policies and practices related to geographical education in general, academic geography and research across the four regions and to identify common concerns and issues therein.
• To act as a spokesperson and a point of reference for the subject in order to be able to represent the views of the geographical community on major issues affecting the status of the subject in the four regions and its constituent organisations and members matters of public interest and policy on which the views of geographers ought to be known
• To follow a flexible and wide-ranging brief embracing the following general areas:

1. policies and proposals affecting geography at all levels of education from primary and early years to higher education, including research
2. provision of resources for geography in education at all levels including research matters of scientific and public concern both national and international to which geographers ought to contribute
3. the raising of public awareness of geography through the media and through the COBRIG website and websites of member organisations of the role that geography can and does play in the day to day matters of the four regions

There are currently 8 member organisations, including the GA and the RGS-IBG. COBRIG provides a forum for discussion and exchange between countries, organisations and sectors of education.  

It represents the interests of geography at national and international levels and identifies issues which need concerted action.  The Seminars were held biennially during the 90s and early 2000s as a forum for discussion and exchange, particularly between schools and higher education.  

Neil Simmonds and Eleanor Rawling were the GA contacts for some time, the latter being a former President of the GA, who established the CoBRIG Seminars.

One COBRIG seminar in 1994 led to the publication of a book co-authored by Eleanor Rawling and Richard Daugherty.

References

(1998) Book Reviews, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 7:3, 265-270, DOI: 10.1080/10382049808667584

1990-1: The Presidential hand over...

Not yet a part of the official progress through the Presidential journey, in the same way as the Olympic Nations pass on the flag at the end of each Olympiad to the country that is going to succeed them as host.

Thanks to Eleanor Rawling for the scan of the GA News showing the change over between Bryan Coates and herself.

This took place in the unusual surroundings of the cobbles of Coronation Street during a GA fieldtrip. Also a mention for Russell Chapman - conference organiser, and the National Curriculum debate.

ER and BC at 1991 GA Conference by GeoBlogs on Scribd

1991: Eleanor Rawling MBE

Update July 2022

The GA is and has always played a vital role as a source of geography subject expertise, advice and community for geography teachers and geographers.

It is crucial that such a body exists in times of continuing educational and curriculum change and so I have felt it important to be involved and to contribute when I can.

I have also found it a place of friendship, intellectual challenge and social activity.

Eleanor Rawling (personal correspondence)

Eleanor Rawling has been involved in a wide range of geographical education activity for many decades, and has influenced the practice of many classroom teachers. Indeed, one could argue that she has done more than most to influence the geography that is taught in schools, particularly those that follow the National Curriculum.

Thanks to Eleanor for providing some useful information on her career and involvement with the Geographical Association.

Eleanor was born in Gloucestershire in 1949, and grew up in the Cotswolds.

She attended Chosen Hill Grammar/Technical School, Churchdown, Gloucestershire (a new school opened in 1959/60) and St Hilda's College, University of Oxford 

After attaining a degree in geography and a PGCE (1967-72) at the University of Oxford, she taught geography (11-18 years) at the John Mason School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. 

From 1976, she worked on two curriculum development projects: Schools Council Geography 16-19 at the University of London Institute of Education (1976-85) and the Geographical Association's Geography, Schools and Industry Project at the University of Oxford Department of Educational Studies (National Coordinator 1987-91). 

In 1984, she became Chair of Publications and Communications Committee of the GA, in which capacity she initiated the proposal for a GA Newsletter. In 1985, she became Editor of 'Teaching Geography' after Patrick Bailey finished his period of office.

In 1989, she was part of the National Curriculum Geography Working Group established by the government, and managed by the Department for Education and Science (DES) to outline a National Geography Curriculum. You may notice the names of several other Past Presidents on this group as well.

• Mrs. Kay Edwards—Head of Geography, Penglais Comprehensive School, Aberystwyth
• Mr. Richard Lethbridge—Former chairman, Tower Steel (Holdings) plc, now a branch secretary of the Country Landowners' Association
• Mrs. Wendy Morgan—Recently retired headmistress of Elmsett Primary School, Suffolk
• Dr. Keith Paterson—Senior Lecturer in Geography, Liverpool Institute of Higher Education
• Mrs. Eleanor Rawling—National Co-ordinator, Geography Schools and Industry Project
• Mr. Michael Storm—Staff Inspector for Geography and Environmental Studies, Inner London Education Authority
• Mrs. Rachel Thomas—Member of the Countryside Commission and Exmoor National Park Committee
• Mr. Rex Walford—Lecturer in Geography and Education, University of Cambridge

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/may/05/geography

Although Eleanor remained a member of the Group through to its report in 1991, she was unhappy with the approach taken to the curriculum and submitted a minority report which was not published.

In 1991, Eleanor was made a Research Fellow at the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies (later re-named Department of Education) and also became President of the Geographical Association (1991-2) and Chair of the Council of British Geography (1993-5). In her Presidential Address to the GA in 1992, Eleanor explained her concerns about the new national geography curriculum and her proposals for a more workable curriculum structure.

As Chair of the Council of British Geography she initiated the CoBRIG Seminars, bringing together those in schools and in higher education, research and teaching to consider big issues about the state and future of geography education. The 1994 seminar resulted in a book Geography into the 21st Century, co-edited/written with Richard Daugherty.

Eleanor told me that her MBE which was awarded in the New Year's Honours 1995 was specifically for her work with the GA and with the Council of British Geography.

From Eleanor's University Biography.

From 1993-2005, Eleanor was Professional Officer for Geography with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, during which time, she also maintained her research activity and publications via links with the Oxford Department. 

A Leverhulme Research Fellowship 1999-2000 allowed her to take secondment from QCA to carry out a study of the impact of curriculum policy on school geography and the resulting book Changing the Subject; the impact of national policy on school geography 1980-2000 has been widely cited both in and beyond the geography education world. This was followed by a BERA publication Connecting Policy and Practice; Research in Geography Education. Eleanor’s contribution to policy studies was recognised by the award of the Royal Geographical Society’s prestigious Back Award for contributions to geography and education policy in 2003.

She has given papers at a number of international conferences, including Brisbane, Washington DC, Toronto, New York and Boston. In 1992, she was a key speaker at the IGU International Congress held in Washington DC. and hosted by the National Geographic Society. She was also a visiting scholar to the NGS in that same year.

Source: http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/people/eleanor-rawling/

Since 2005, Eleanor has undertaken consultancy work for numerous organisations, including the Department for Education (England), edited the academic journal Geography, played roles in both the Royal Geographical Society and the Geographical Association and been an active member of the Geography Education Research Collective (GEReCo). 

From Eleanor's university biography.

Eleanor kindly answered some questions via a Google Form.

Most recently, I have worked as an independent consultant in geography and education, doing work for the Department of Education, England on National Curriculum (2013-4), GCSE and A/AS Level (2014-17) and for the Welsh Assembly Government's Curriculum Department on the Welsh Curriculum Review (2017-19).

"My year was characterised by 'making the most of the National Curriculum' i.e. I and many others were not happy with the new geography National Curriculum we had but I was determined that we would provide teachers with all the help and support they needed to implement it. The GA produced a full range of leaflets, resources and publications and also ran teacher inset, designed to do just that. 

Behind the scenes, I also worked hard to try and change/amend/improve the curriculum - a theme which has coloured a lot of my working life. I was instrumental in setting up GA News - and appointing Mike Morrish (another former GA President in due course) to be the first editor. I count this as a huge success as the Newsletter has flourished and continues to the present day. 

Also I planned out a GA regional structure which got off the ground with a very successful pilot region (the North West, managed by some enterprising and enthusiastic lecturers and LEA advisers). The full structure never really ran successfully because we didn't have the funding to make it work on more than a voluntary basis. I made close contact with both the Association of American Geographers and the National Geographic Society and their growing work on supporting school teachers. This resulted in close relations and some sharing of ideas/resources.

When she was GA President, Eleanor was also being a mother to two young children, one of whom needed constant medical treatment and doing independent geography education consultancy work.

 

After my Presidential year, I was involved in the committee that reviewed the GA structure and committees and produced a new structure, and I continued on Council until I had to give up due to joining SCAA."

John Westaway was another former President who was also involved with SCAA. More on that to come in John's own entry on the blog.

Eleanor was also involved in the development of the OCR Pilot GCSE Geography in the mid 2000s. She developed the module on Cultural Geography, and helped shape this innovative curriculum.

This is where I first encountered Eleanor myself, at an event for those teachers who were teaching this wonderful qualification, which reinvigorated the final few years of my teaching before I started to work for the Geographical Association (and probably contributed to me getting that job in a small way as it was so creative and opened my eyes to the possibilities - along with the influence of Chris Durbin.)

Eleanor also attended the Geography Teacher Educators' conferences. These are excellent, and I have attended several over the years and remember chatting to Eleanor at the Oxford event a few years back, where I had been presenting on the GeoCapabilities project.

I've also had the pleasure of working with Eleanor since on the more recent GA working party on the curriculum which the GA convened around the time I was working for the GA, and also discussions at the GTE conferences I've attended. I remember this involved producing some mapping along with ESRI, I wonder if the maps still exist.

Eleanor also had the privilege of being the author of the first article to be included in the GA's new journal for teachers in 1975:  'Teaching Geography'.

She contributed many other pieces as well over the years, and co-wrote a number of books including one with Richard Daugherty (GA President in 1989). She was also part of the Editorial Collective of the journal 'Geography' for many years, guiding the relaunch of the journal.

Eleanor is still very active in geography and curriculum matters.
Eleanor attended the special dinner held to celebrate the GA's 125th Anniversary, and is pictured here.

Images copyright: Geographical Association and Bryan Ledgard

In recent years, Eleanor remains active as a curriculum consultant.

She also has an interest in place, and the use of poetry.

She has written a book on the poetry of place of Ivor Gurney and the county of Gloucestershire.

She comes at this from the perspective of a Geographer and someone who knows the area that Gurney wrote about well: https://ivorgurneytrust.com/who-we-helped-3/ 

Eleanor continues to be involved with the GA, and told me why she thinks this is so important:

"As a new teacher in the 1970s, I found the GA particularly helpful in giving me access to the wider community of teachers and the expertise of other geographers and educationalists. Writing for the journals (TG and Geography) and being a member of various committees and working groups was an essential part of my professional development and growth of confidence. (Very significant was the fact that, as a young teacher, I had an article accepted for the very first issue of Teaching Geography)".

She still keeps active as well:

I am a fell runner (still at 70 years of age) and a long distance walker. My enjoyment of exploring wild places has also provided a personal and emotional perspective on my activities as a geographer and GA member.

References
http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/people/eleanor-rawling/ - departmental profile and biography

Hansard - Working Party for NC - mention of Eleanor's involvement
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/may/05/geography

Books
Changing the Subject; the impact of national policy on school geography 1980-2000

RAWLING, ELEANOR. “Supermarket for Llandovery: —an Exercise in Field Research.” Teaching Geography, vol. 1, no. 1, 1975, pp. 7–10. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23749911

Article on Place: https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P4-2122398093/reflections-on-place

Rawling E, 2001, Changing the Subject; the impact of national policy on school geography 1980-2000 Sheffield, Geographical Association. 

Rawling E, 2004, School Geography Around the World,; a sample of 14 countries, in Kent, Rawling and Robinson , forthcoming IGU-CGE publication with Scottish Association of Geography Teachers for IGU Glasgow Congress August 2004. 

Westaway J and Rawling E, 2001, The Rises and Falls of School Geography Teaching Geography 26 (3) pp108-111. 

Rawling, Eleanor, and John Westaway. “Exploring Creativity.” Teaching Geography, vol. 28, no. 1, 2003, pp. 5–8. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23756441. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

RAWLING, ELEANOR. “Village in the Green Belt — an Introduction to Planning for Second Year Pupils.” Teaching Geography, vol. 1, no. 4, 1976, pp. 151–156. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23751249.

GA Thinkpiece:

https://www.geography.org.uk/write/mediauploads/research%20library/ga_tp_s_planningcurriculum.pdf

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/pluginfile.php/631193/mod_resource/content/1/geog_t1_09t_2.pdf

I am grateful to Eleanor Rawling for her assistance with the entries for several other GA Presidents as well as her own.

If anyone has other memories of Eleanor's work with the Geographical Association please get in touch.

Simon Catling told me:

Eleanor Rawling is a particular friend who has provided great service for the geography education community for very many years, as one of our leading thinkers, essayists and promoters, always arguing geography’s case rigorously.

Update December 2020

Eleanor Rawling and Bryan Coates

(c) Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association

At the relaunch of 'Geography'

(c) Bryan Ledgard / Geographical Association

Updated July 2022

I've met Eleanor a few times recently - at the GA Conference and also a COBRIG meeting at the RGS.

I worked on a paper for the recent IGU in Paris based on her work.

The paper is shared on ResearchGate.

Robert May

I first came across Robert May on one of the images that Sheila Jones sent through to me via Jeremy Krause. He was in a quiz team which was taking part in a special quiz on the British Empire at the 1993 Centenary Celebrations, along with Sue Bermingham.

He was the Branch Officer of the Geographical Assocation following Sheila Jones - an important role and one currently carried out by Ian Dixson. She described him as a great supporter of the GA and Assistant Treasurer, and she said he never made President, but perhaps should have.

Here he is in the image on the right:

We believe the man on the left with the beard and Fez is Bob Jones: Secretary of the North Staffs Branch of the GA, and also a former GA Branch Officer. Thanks to Frances Soar for suggesting that it was Bob. Can anyone confirm that for me? He was certainly present at the event.

References

Coates, Bryan E., et al. “Annual Report of the Geographical Association 1983.” Geography, vol. 69, no. 2, 1984, pp. 167–175. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40570820. Accessed 8 Nov. 2020

1992: Southampton and the GA Conference

Thanks to former President Eleanor Rawling for passing through details of the 1992 GA Conference, and a copy of the programme.

What catches your eye?

GA Conf Prog 1992 by GeoBlogs

The early period of the RGS-IBG

The first part of Tariq Jazeel's lecture mentions some overlap with the early days of the RGS-IBG.

Have you watched our Thinking geographically lecture with @rikjaz @AnsonMackay from @UCLgeography? @rikjaz urges a questioning approach — 'historically we want you to ask, in whose image has geography been fashioned and how might we begin to change that?' https://t.co/LgHWPkrLEu

— RGS-IBG Schools (@RGS_IBGschools) December 2, 2020

Can be watched again on Vimeo. The first half is by Professor Tariq Jazeel, who also serves on the GA Governing Body. The second half is by Professor Anson Mackay, whose specialist area is climate change and palaeoclimates. It's aimed at UCL students, but if you listen to the questions that Tariq poses, there is plenty there to consider when one thinks about the emergence of the subject discipline.

GA News - the first edition

The first edition of the 'proper' GA News with Mike Morrish as the editor. 

Thanks to Eleanor Rawling for passing this through. First of all, there's a mock up, which was put together to show how it might look.

And then an image of the actual document, complete with the relevant story at the time relating to government-related policy work and the debate over Keith Joseph's speech at the GA Conference which has been the subject of other posts.

Images: Eleanor Rawling

1990: Mr. Bryan E Coates

Last updated June 2021

Bryan Coates was a geographer at Sheffield University. 

He is another familiar name in Geographical Association history. He was connected with the GA for many decades, and this continued until fairly recently - here he is, pictured at a GA Conference in Derby by Bryan Ledgard.

Bryan held several important posts within the GA, and these included some particularly significant ones, which he held for many years, and which are particularly important for the ongoing work of the Association through the 1980s:

• Honorary Secretary
• Publications Editor
• Honorary Treasurer

These were the posts which were crucial to the continued effective running of the Association for many years, before it went onto a more professional footing.

Bryan worked in the Geography Department at Sheffield University.

He wrote about the Geography of Inequality and this was the theme of his Presidential Address in 1991, called 'Our Unequal World'.


Inequality has grown in importance as an area of geographical study over the last few years.

Nearly 30 years on from that time, we now have even greater inequalities, and plenty of geographers studying them, including some of the GA's own current trustees, and Danny Dorling, whose job title invokes an earlier GA President of course.

Bryan was associated with the Association from the 1960s, when he co-authored a piece on employment and affluence with E M Rawstron, who he was to write several pieces in association with.

He also created a Census Atlas of South Yorkshire, which can still be purchased.

He was fondly remembered by Sheila Jones, who also remembered him as "one of the great modernisers" who did a great deal to change the Association.

She sent me more details about his work around the Centenary in 1993.

Here's Bryan in 1993, with Pat Cleverley and a gentleman that we haven't been able to identify as yet at the Centenary event.

Here's Bryan doing a speech at another centenary event in 1993.

Former GA President Jeremy Krause also told me that Bryan:

"...was the ‘ah but man’ - challenging questions - "have you thought about doing this better or differently". Often right about good sense.
Lovely man! 

Great sense of fun!"

While researching Bryan and trying to track down some more information, I discovered from Richard Daugherty that Bryan had sadly died quite recently in December 2019.

From the Sheffield University website, a little more information where his death was announced:

Bryan was based in the Department of Geography from 1 October 1958 to 30 September 1989 and was a Senior Lecturer at the time of his retirement. He also served as the Dean of Social Sciences from 1 September 1988 to 30 September 1989.

Bryan sadly passed away on Wednesday 4 December 2019. 

His family was described in the details of his funeral service:

Beloved husband of Shirley, much loved dad of Andrew, David and Anna and a very dear grandad.

There was also a memory from a former student posted:

To finish, a memory from Eleanor Rawling, who succeeded Bryan as GA President, and is coming up next on the blog:

"Bryan Coates was President the year before me. He could be quite frightening with his bluff Northern manner, his rather direct sense of humour and his strong views but I learned to work with him and to like him a great deal. He was an amazing power and energy for good in the GA, particularly his unseen work at Headquarters, then in Fulwood Road. He helped to modernise and streamline the GA structure. I am not sure people know how much the GA owes him."

It's stories like this which the blog has unearthed so well.

She also shared an anecdote: 

Bryan was a great stickler for timekeeping so as Past President when he chaired my Presidential Address, he whispered in my ear just as I stood up to speak - "you'd better not over-run or I'll cut you short!!"

References

Coates, Bryan E., et al. “Annual Report of The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 76, no. 2, 1991, pp. 177–188. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572070 - written in association with Richard Daugherty.

Rolfe, Diane. “Twenty-Five Years of ‘Geography’ Production.” Geography, vol. 100, no. 3, 2015, pp. 159–163., www.jstor.org/stable/43825591

Presidential Address:
Coates, Bryan E. “Our Unequal World.” Geography, vol. 77, no. 1, 1992, pp. 1–9. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40572138

COATES, B. E., and E. M. RAWSTRON. “Regional Incomes and Planning 1964-1965.” Geography, vol. 52, no. 4, 1967, pp. 393–402. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566682

RAWSTRON, E. M., and B. E. COATES. “Opportunity and Affluence.” Geography, vol. 51, no. 1, 1966, pp. 1–15. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566036. Accessed 12 Apr. 2020.

If anyone has further information on Bryan Coates that would be gratefully received. This is a relatively brief post.

Images: thanks to Sheila Jones

Updated December 2020

I can endorse everything that has already been written about Bryan Coates. He did indeed give many years of service to the Association in several roles and was both a great moderniser and a lovely man. From my time working closely, and very happily, with Bryan when we were the GA’s joint honorary secretaries for three years (1978-81) I can add a little more about his role as a ‘moderniser’. 

Once the Association moved to a model of joint honorary secretaries, one based in Sheffield and the other elsewhere, it would inevitably follow that the locally based secretary was more directly involved at the HQ offices in Sheffield (then at Fulwood Road). Bryan soon realised that all was not well with the staff at HQ and, being the no nonsense man that he was, he took to dropping in there unannounced. He kept me fully informed about the problems he found but it was very much Bryan’s initiative to embark upon a major restructuring at HQ that included early retirement for the man then in charge, the 'administrative secretary'. 

There would also be new appointments of staff members such as Julia Legg who would be crucial for the improved efficiency of the HQ office in subsequent years. All organisations need individuals who will not only see the need for change but also work hard, without looking to take credit, at making it happen. 

As to the ‘lovely man’, I will always be grateful for Bryan’s kindness to me at a personal level.

Many thanks Richard....

Update: December 2020

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

It turns out that he went to Maltby Grammar School, just 3 miles away from where I went to school in Wickersley, at the Comprehensive School there. He talks about a very fierce geography master called Mr. Salmon, who was great in the field and took the students to Whitby, Malham and Eastbourne. He says:

"I dared to say we were not where he said we were. Stunned silence. Fellow students shaking with fear. Me too, in case I was wrong. After a tense discussion, he agreed with me, said SORRY and added "from now on you wll lead the way. I'll tell you where I want to go and you get us there..."

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

Update June 2021

Free book giveaway in my department and found this old book on British socioeconomic geography. Those good-old ‘70s #cartography and #dataviz style. pic.twitter.com/XlMutATofw

— Kenneth Wong (@Kenneth_KHW) June 1, 2021