QCCC Mapleton, Reflections on culture / 13.04.2018
Bunya Spirit of Youth
After the success and growth of the Blackall 100 ultra-marathon in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Run Queensland have turned their attention to a new race event for schools and youth organisations. The Bunya Spirit of Youth will take place in late-August when Run Queensland partners with the Jinibara People, Queensland Conference and Camping Centres (QCCC) and Goombuckar Creations to establish a new prestige race event for younger Queenslanders.
QCCCâs Senior Supervisor of Outdoor Education, Neil Robinson, has received the recognition and accolade heâs due from his industry peers, taking home the Queensland Government Outstanding Achievement Award (Individual) from the annual Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation (QORF) Awards on Friday night. Queensland Conference and Camping Centres (QCCC) won the Outstanding Organisation Award in 2013 largely off the back of the successful team Neil has assembled over more than two decades of service with the organisation. Neil is a trusted pioneer of Outdoor Education in Queensland, joining the staff at QCCC Mapleton in 1994 to start a one-man operation. From humble beginnings QCCC is now one of the largest providers of Outdoor Education programming in Queensland, catering to nearly 20,000 participants annually.
He is renowned for his attention to detail and high level of care, and the expectation all staff will embrace the highest level of service delivery.  From the outset Neil has attempted to make Outdoor Education accessible to all. The earliest Mapleton events were camps for single mothers and their children. The vast majority of QCCCâs activities are accessible for people in wheelchairs or significant disabilities, with instructors trained above and beyond normal requirements to make sure all can participate. We congratulate Neil on this recognition of his service to the industry and wish him all the best with the Awards process.
The Bunya Tree has a special place in the history of the Blackall Range. Theyâre a symbol of abundance and were the catalyst for the tri-annual Bunya Festival â a relational corroboree where stories and skills were exchanged, conflicts resolved and stories told. Explorer Tom Petrie wrote in the early 1800s about the importance of the Bunya Tree to aboriginal life, documenting how the women would congregate around trees felled by âsettlersâ and mourn each tree for weeks. Petrie was so moved by the love the Aboriginal people had for their Bunya trees that he prevailed on the government of the day to declare a large swathe of land north of Brisbane a protectorate, arguably the first attempt at a nature reserve in the world. Sadly one of the first acts of Parliament for the new Colony of Queensland was to reverse this legislation and allow felling to re-commence. However, majestic examples of the Bunya tree still remained, none more so than the twin Bunya peaks in the grounds of Mapleton State School. Sadly one of these was lost to a lightning strike a few years ago.
Teachers place a high value on their schoolâs outdoor education and camping programs. Many tell us itâs the best time they get to spend with their students - an opportunity to build both peer-level and teacher-student relationships. They also say camp establishes an environment for out-of-the-ordinary experiences, which tend to be remembered more than experiences in ordinary settings. Little wonder then that teachers invest so much time and energy to take their classes away on camps where they can have both a quality Outdoor Education experience and observe their class in setting outside of the everyday routine.
One of the things Queenslandâs Gold Coast is most famous for is its Theme Parks. As the Gold Coastâs largest school campsite QCCC Tamborine is a great destination for school groups and tours looking for an affordable accommodation package for their Theme Park Camp. Itâs just a short drive down the mountain to Dreamworld, MovieWorld, Wet nâ Wild and the Outback Spectacular. SeaWorld is not too much further. Offering modern and comfortable accommodation QCCC Tamborine can provide a fully catered camp package from groups as small as 20 to the full capacity of the precinct, 450 people!