Hidden amongst the natural bush settings and rainforest of QCCC Mapleton’s property, the Triballink Activity Centre is taking shape. For thousands of years Aboriginal people from many miles around came to the Blackall Range during the bumper fruiting seasons of the Bunya tree for a time of feasting, story-telling and conflict resolution. ...
Queensland Conference and Camping Centres (QCCC) and Goombuckar Pty Ltd are delighted to announce a relationship agreement with the determined native title holders for the Blackall Range, the Jinibara People Aboriginal Corporation (JPAC). The agreement accepts and endorses Aboriginal Cultural Awareness activities for delivery at QCCC Mapleton’s Outdoor Education campus....
QCCC’s Senior Supervisor of Outdoor Education, Neil Robinson, has received the recognition and accolade he’s 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.
QCCC Mapleton's Senior Supervisor of Outdoor Education, Neil Robinson, is a finalist for the Outdoors Queensland Outstanding Individual Award in 2017. Neil is a trusted pioneer of Outdoor Education in Queensland, joining us 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 guests annually.
Two decades after he commenced Neil trains and operates his Outdoor Education to an exacting standard, never being satisfied with anything less than industry best-practice. Staff trained by Neil Robinson are known for their excellence and attention to detail – whether this be in the QCCC workplace, or amongst staff who have been trained by Neil and gone to work in other organisations in Queensland or globally. The comment most often made about instructors trained by Neil is “they go the extra mile.”
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 QCCC’s 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. They’re a symbol of abundance and were the catalyst for the tri-annual Bunya Festival – 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 “settlers” 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 school’s outdoor education and camping programs. Many tell us it’s 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 Queensland’s Gold Coast is most famous for is its Theme Parks. As the Gold Coast’s 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.
It’s just a short drive down the mountain to Dreamworld, MovieWorld, Wet n’ 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!
With Queensland being Australia’s most de-populated State in Australia a Brisbane School Camp is a great format for regional schools to expose their students to the State’s capital. Located just a short 20 minute from the CBD, QCCC Brookfield is the closest exclusive school camp site to all the activities and delights of Brisbane city. That’s why the focus of QCCC Brookfield is on its home city – Brisbane.
As one of few camping options within the city it is highly sought after by country schools from all over the State. Schools from as far away as Cairns and the Whitsundays are regular visitors.
We recently had a school at one of our sites who had to bring some classroom work with them because there were some assessment deadlines they couldn’t shift for camp. They didn’t like doing it – the preference of many schools is to make camp a time away from the pressures of the classroom. That doesn’t mean however that schools, students and parents shouldn’t expect learning and educational outcomes from their Queensland school camp experience.
A quality school camp should be what psychologists call a “liminal” experience. A liminal space is a place of transition, waiting, and growth. Liminality happens when you get removed from your everyday environment into a place of experience, learning and relational memory.
When booking a camp it is important to understand the subtle distinctions operators make between their programs. Calling a camping program a “recreational” or “adventure” package means it’s probably a very different experience to an Outdoor Education program. There’s not anything wrong with any of these options, but it matters when you book to know that they have a different focus and outcomes.