Speaker 1: This is remember when with Harvey Degan on Perth six PR.
Speaker 2: Welcome evening, everybody, and welcome to the show. We have
Speaker 2: a shorter program tonight, of course because of the footy,
Speaker 2: but we still have lots to cover between now and midnight.
Speaker 2: Soon we'll be taking a look at a milestone anniversary
Speaker 2: of arguably WA's premier outdoor adventure and recreation camp. After
Speaker 2: ten o'clock I'll be joined in the studio by Richard
Speaker 2: Often he'll be taking a detailed look at our convict
Speaker 2: past in Wa. And in the last hour we'll have
Speaker 2: another episode of our serial Famous Fortunes, and then there'll
Speaker 2: be a Beach Boys special where we'll play some of
Speaker 2: the group's greatest hits. And this follows the passing during
Speaker 2: the week of one of the founders of the Beach Boys,
Speaker 2: Brian Wilson. So hope you can stay with us through
Speaker 2: the rest of the night and then into Monday morning
Speaker 2: with Tony Max Australia Overnight. But first things first, I
Speaker 2: would like to be yet that many of you listening
Speaker 2: to our program this evening are aware of the Bickley
Speaker 2: Outdoor Recreation Camp located on the Darling Scarp alongside the
Speaker 2: picturesque Bickley Reservoir, twenty five kilometers from the Perth CBD
Speaker 2: in the suburb of Orange Grove. Now, maybe you've personally
Speaker 2: experienced what the camp has to offer, or maybe your
Speaker 2: children or grandchildren have been there to participate in the
Speaker 2: multitude of activities that are available. For those that haven't,
Speaker 2: listen up, the Bickley Outdoor Recreation Camp is a place
Speaker 2: where West Australians of all ages can participate in exciting
Speaker 2: activities in a tranquil bush setting. And this year is
Speaker 2: a very important one for the camp. It's celebrating its
Speaker 2: eightieth birthday. Oh I wonder how many Westoses have been
Speaker 2: to the camp at one time or another over that period.
Speaker 2: Many thousands, I suspect. Well, if anybody knows, it would
Speaker 2: be David Brown, Director Sport and Recreation Projects at the
Speaker 2: Department of Local Government, and under lay lighted to say
Speaker 2: that David has agreed to join us on remember when
Speaker 2: Welcome David.
Speaker 3: Hi Harvey, thanks having me, You're very very welcome.
Speaker 2: Indeed, well, the David pressure from the opening bounds. Any
Speaker 2: idea of how many people have experienced the camp.
Speaker 4: It'd probably be pretty tricky to give you a precise
Speaker 4: number of people that have been through the doors, but
Speaker 4: certainly looking back at the number of people that may
Speaker 4: have stayed overnight of the camp, been on holiday programs,
Speaker 4: family community camps and trips and things, which certainly say
Speaker 4: the last twenty years, they're big least consistently delivered over
Speaker 4: twenty thousand camp experiences each year, so that'll probably you
Speaker 4: four or five hundred thousand alone over that last twenty
Speaker 4: odd years for people who participated in programs, stayed there
Speaker 4: or used quickly as the base to explore the surrounding bush.
Speaker 2: They're seriously big numbers. David, take us for a journey
Speaker 2: through time back to June third, nineteen forty five. That's
Speaker 2: when the Bigley Youth Camp as it was first known,
Speaker 2: was officially opened. Whose idea was it to establish the
Speaker 2: camp in the first place?
Speaker 4: It was actually the National Fitness Council was designated to
Speaker 4: investigate possible sites through a camp. And this was actually
Speaker 4: ahead of nineteen forty five, so this was in sort
Speaker 4: of the nineteen thirties, and it was around World War
Speaker 4: two time, and it was part of a broader national
Speaker 4: effort to improve physical fitness and social cohesion. And you know,
Speaker 4: when looking through a number of locations, Bickley was identified
Speaker 4: as a as a great location to establish the states
Speaker 4: first youth model camp. And yeah, it opened up on
Speaker 4: the third of June nineteen forty five.
Speaker 2: And one of the greatest advantages is I alluded to,
Speaker 2: I think at the start of our chat today, was
Speaker 2: that it's well essentially in our own backyard, just twenty
Speaker 2: five k's from the birth CBD.
Speaker 4: That's it. Yeah, the site was chosen for its natural
Speaker 4: beauty and practicality. It was leased from the Water Supply
Speaker 4: Department around the Bickley Reservoir, you know, as a camp
Speaker 4: located in the bush with a great location for it
Speaker 4: and a really great way for youth and community to
Speaker 4: go out and experience kind of camping and experience you know, activities. Now,
Speaker 4: in the early days, it was probably pretty rugged. It
Speaker 4: was tense for accommodation, and it's a few basic buildings
Speaker 4: things like that. You know, campers would have been improvising
Speaker 4: with what they had, making games from natural materials or
Speaker 4: sort of spending time in the reservoir hiking and those
Speaker 4: sorts of things. But yeah, that it's evolved a little
Speaker 4: bit over the years into a range of different programs
Speaker 4: and activities that are.
Speaker 2: Run sure, has I imagine that back in the day, David,
Speaker 2: there was a mere fractions of options for participants that
Speaker 2: exist today.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Absolutely. You know, back in the day, I think,
Speaker 4: like I said, it was really a location where people
Speaker 4: would go camp. He would have had groups such as
Speaker 4: Scouts and Girl Guides and church groups and family groups
Speaker 4: going and staying there. But you know, in the eighties
Speaker 4: and nineties and a lot of these programs would have
Speaker 4: really into more formal type arrangements and it bit You've
Speaker 4: got things such as fantastic places to be participating in
Speaker 4: ab sailing off the natural rock face. There's an opportunity
Speaker 4: to do flying fox across the Bickley Reservoir as well
Speaker 4: as the range of you know, I said before, it's
Speaker 4: a fantastic base to explore the region. You know, we
Speaker 4: offer mountain biking and orienteering and a lot of games
Speaker 4: like raft building and those sorts of things. So really
Speaker 4: maintaining that focus on getting people outdoors and experiencing things
Speaker 4: and enjoying the local.
Speaker 2: Surround is it fair to say, David, from the get go,
Speaker 2: Bitley was more than somewhere where participants just learn the
Speaker 2: basics of camping. Surely they would have also been taught
Speaker 2: the fundamental skills of sharing and living together.
Speaker 4: Absolutely. I think that was really that focus in those
Speaker 4: early days of setting it up. It was about building
Speaker 4: fitness and creating social sort of cohesion across those use
Speaker 4: and getting people out experience in the outdoors, but learning
Speaker 4: important skills living independently and you know, so there would
Speaker 4: have been community living and those sorts of groups out
Speaker 4: there spending time together and learning what it's like to
Speaker 4: be in the bush and spend time out in their community,
Speaker 4: you know, building relationships and friendships with people and learning
Speaker 4: valuable skills. That really did a good foundation for them
Speaker 4: for the future.
Speaker 2: Now, David, I believe the Gold League for people don't
Speaker 2: know what the Gold League is, so basically their bird fanciers,
Speaker 2: the Gold League people. Yep, the Girl League were one
Speaker 2: of the early groups who could appreciate just what Bigley
Speaker 2: had to offer.
Speaker 4: Yeah. No, the Good League is very one of the
Speaker 4: very sort of special to Depictarly, they've got a little
Speaker 4: area they're referred to as the Good Area, but they
Speaker 4: ran camps and a lot of year sixers would have
Speaker 4: been there to a Gold League camp. Over the year.
Speaker 4: They would have been sort of a week for long
Speaker 4: or so camp where they would have gone and experienced,
Speaker 4: you know, nature and learn about the environment, sustainability. You know,
Speaker 4: they've been a long term partner and work with Bickley
Speaker 4: for a long period.
Speaker 2: I think the what's it called the TS Edmundson Sanctuary
Speaker 2: has been established by the Gould League.
Speaker 4: Hasn't it. Yeah. Absolutely, Yeah, they've done some amazing work
Speaker 4: up there, and certainly Bickley and the team up there
Speaker 4: have done great work building relationships with the places like
Speaker 4: the Gold League. They've got strong relationships with the Southeast
Speaker 4: Regional Center, the Urban Landcare who've helped restore and protect
Speaker 4: the camp's environment. Thousands of seedlings planted, we control education
Speaker 4: signage installed to be able to sort of identify local
Speaker 4: birds and flora fauna, those sorts of things. So yeah,
Speaker 4: it's a really fantastic space to go and just appreciate
Speaker 4: nature and find a tranquil spot in a fairly busy world.
Speaker 2: I hope you're enjoying my interview with David and David
Speaker 2: If you don't mind, we can take a break now
Speaker 2: and pay a few bills and we'll be back with
Speaker 2: more on this this's the eightieth anniversary of Bickley.
Speaker 1: On Perth six PR. This is remember when with Harvey
Speaker 1: d Gan.
Speaker 2: So welcome back everybody, and I'm having a chat right
Speaker 2: now to a very informed man in regarding the Bickley
Speaker 2: Outdoor Recreation Camp, which is celebrating its eightieth birthday, was
Speaker 2: set up in the nineteen twenty nineteen forty five, i
Speaker 2: should say, and David Brown has been taking us through
Speaker 2: some of the early days at Bickley. David, can you
Speaker 2: take us through some of the main facilities that have
Speaker 2: been added since the birth of Bickley when it was
Speaker 2: a very rudimentary camp back in those days.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Look, in the early days, as we said, there
Speaker 4: might have been a couple of old buildings in a
Speaker 4: sort of a kitchen and mainly a number of tenths.
Speaker 4: But over the years there's been a number of additional
Speaker 4: buildings and dorms added x army sort of and I
Speaker 4: think the Jenny was formerly part of the Purse causeway
Speaker 4: and yeah, so you've got a number of different buildings
Speaker 4: and things that have been established there over the years
Speaker 4: to really turn it into a little bit more comfortable
Speaker 4: than what it might have been back in the nineteen
Speaker 4: forties but still maintained that very rustic and rural Fiel David.
Speaker 2: I believe the old Pickering Brooks Schoolhouse is on site.
Speaker 3: Tell us about that. What's its purpose there?
Speaker 4: Yeah, Look, the Pickering Brook Schoolhouse stands just inside the
Speaker 4: front gates and it's really been used as the recreation
Speaker 4: room there at the Bickler Camp. So all the campers
Speaker 4: would be staying in the dorms and using the camp
Speaker 4: facilities during the day. Then you know, at times they'll
Speaker 4: be using the old pickering Brook Schoolhouse for group activities,
Speaker 4: whether it big craft or sort of movie nights, or
Speaker 4: activities and other things that might be happening throughout their camp.
Speaker 2: It's probably not the right weather or the right season
Speaker 2: for this, but you've got an Olympics and handed swimming pool,
Speaker 2: and is that available for people who are attending the
Speaker 2: camp to have a swimming Yeah.
Speaker 4: Look, the Biclary reservoir are certainly there. And going through
Speaker 4: bit of the history, you know, I understand that the
Speaker 4: camp used to host some in carnivals and it was
Speaker 4: even frequented by some former Olympic athletes of the likes
Speaker 4: of John Hendrix and Percy Oliver. But whilst it might
Speaker 4: not be used as a fifty meter swimming pool was
Speaker 4: often anymore. It's certainly used for people to go in
Speaker 4: there and have a swim and kayaking and water based
Speaker 4: programs when we do raft building and those sorts of things.
Speaker 4: But as we say, in addition to the organized camps,
Speaker 4: one of the things that Bigley is there's a lot
Speaker 4: of groups and family groups and community groups that go
Speaker 4: there and stay in our Billabond camping area and just
Speaker 4: use it as a base to be out of the
Speaker 4: and go and spend some time around the dam and
Speaker 4: stay cool in summer and enjoy the surround.
Speaker 2: Indeed, way back in the day, I believe there was
Speaker 2: a youth hostel which was gutted by fire.
Speaker 3: Can you take us through.
Speaker 2: That and has that been rebuilt or replaced with another
Speaker 2: structure in the meantime.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so it was I think in the early nineteen fifties.
Speaker 4: It was built there and it was later gutted by fire,
Speaker 4: but that later became the warden's heart and it was
Speaker 4: fit it out for the following warden. I think that
Speaker 4: was a book. Bert Wilkinson who retired in nineteen seventy
Speaker 4: six and understand Burti spent many hours building the stone walls,
Speaker 4: the barbecue areas and amphitheater, and remained on site a
Speaker 4: warden until about nineteen eighty eight.
Speaker 2: Right David I was reading that at the start, at
Speaker 2: the very very start, thanks to a subsidized fee structure,
Speaker 2: participants had to pay one and thrippans a day. That's
Speaker 2: on about thirteen fourteen cents or something in decimal currency,
Speaker 2: one thripans a day to access the camp.
Speaker 3: Goodness me, what a bargain that was.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, yes, no, they certainly pretty affordable camp experience then,
Speaker 4: and look from our point of view, we try and
Speaker 4: make sure that they remain as affordable as possible so
Speaker 4: that everyone gets the opportunity to attend camp, you know,
Speaker 4: weeks at the Across all of our recreation camps, we
Speaker 4: offer a pricing structure that makes it affordable for schools,
Speaker 4: community groups to receive a significant scant off the full
Speaker 4: price to make sure that all the facilities, whether it
Speaker 4: be staying overnight at the dorm at the campgrounds or
Speaker 4: participating in activities, they've got access to that and hopefully
Speaker 4: we'll continue to do so for a very long time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they be paid more than one trippance obviously, but
Speaker 2: I think you've managed to keep your fees down.
Speaker 3: Is it still subsidized the Bigley.
Speaker 4: Care, Yeah, absolutely, so the state government certainly works to
Speaker 4: make sure the camps are subsidized. So in terms of
Speaker 4: the cost of running the camps, then they offer a
Speaker 4: significant discount for both school and community groups to make
Speaker 4: sure they're able to afford so that students and others
Speaker 4: who want to attend the camp still able to do so,
Speaker 4: and it remains very affordable.
Speaker 2: History records that your inaugural camp manager was a Russell
Speaker 2: Small and he was quite instrumental, I believe, in introducing
Speaker 2: a raft of recreational activities round about the nineteen eighties.
Speaker 2: So you took a leap forward apparently at that time.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, I think as we sort of touched on
Speaker 4: in the early history, it was very much a campground
Speaker 4: where people probably found their own activities and used the
Speaker 4: natural resources around them for games and getting out of
Speaker 4: the water and those sorts of things. But the model
Speaker 4: sort of shifted a little bit to create more instructor
Speaker 4: led activities and programs, and that involves things such as
Speaker 4: raft building and absolutely flying folks, you know, just games
Speaker 4: and bushwalking, mountain biking, these sorts of things to really
Speaker 4: provide that full camp experience, so people can go there,
Speaker 4: stay for a couple of nights and enjoy the camps
Speaker 4: and surrounds, but participate in activities that might push them
Speaker 4: boundaries and get them outdoors and experiencing new, unique opportunities,
Speaker 4: but you know, safely with a very qualified, skilled instructor
Speaker 4: there to help you through.
Speaker 2: You've obviously had a number of very very competent camp
Speaker 2: managers over the course of the eighty years, and we've
Speaker 2: mentioned Russell. You've got Craig Waite and David Hall as
Speaker 2: Bickley staff. Believe they were heavily involved in creating a
Speaker 2: range of programs as well.
Speaker 4: Yeah, look, Craig and David both worked there for a
Speaker 4: very long time. I actually attended the retirement of David,
Speaker 4: who was the assistant manager at Bickley for I think
Speaker 4: it was over thirty five years, and you know, it
Speaker 4: was lucky enough to just hear some of the stories
Speaker 4: about how those programs and things have changed and involved
Speaker 4: just to make sure that you know they're continuing to
Speaker 4: meet the community needs and sort of create those camp
Speaker 4: experiences that are still unique and challenging. But in addition
Speaker 4: to those two, we've got a current manager there, Aaron Bertram,
Speaker 4: who's been there for thro over twenty years himself, and
Speaker 4: he's really taken the camp from strength to strengths by
Speaker 4: building out on those existing programs, creating new ones and
Speaker 4: improving the facilities around the camp and access to the camp.
Speaker 4: And I think that's why we see so many schools,
Speaker 4: community groups, family groups come back year on year. You know,
Speaker 4: a significant portion of the people who go to Bickley
Speaker 4: are people who are booking for next year when they
Speaker 4: leave this year because it's just something that they I
Speaker 4: really enjoy and want to come back to.
Speaker 3: That's a great endorsement.
Speaker 2: Got a few more things to ask you about if
Speaker 2: you don't mind indulging us at this late hour of night, David,
Speaker 2: we appreciate that and we'll be back very shortly.
Speaker 1: This is remember when with Harvey Digan on Perth six PR.
Speaker 2: Welcome Back Facts and I'm talking to David Brown from
Speaker 2: the Department of Local Government and we're having a chat
Speaker 2: about the eightieth anniversary of the Bickley Outdoor Recreation Camp
Speaker 2: and you've been taking us through some of the great advances, David,
Speaker 2: that have occurred since the camp opened in nineteen forty five.
Speaker 3: And you know, I.
Speaker 2: Suppose in rounding it off, you'd say that Bickley has
Speaker 2: got something for everyone, hasn't it. It might be for schools,
Speaker 2: it might be corporate bonding, team bonding sort of exercises,
Speaker 2: church groups, youth and family groups and so on. So
Speaker 2: do you have an average demographic or is it the
Speaker 2: usual from eight to eighty sort of range.
Speaker 4: You know, yeah, it really is across the board. Now,
Speaker 4: I think a lot of our groups would be school groups,
Speaker 4: you know, so we support schools and that would be
Speaker 4: primary school camps, but also your high schools. You may
Speaker 4: have outdoor head students and those sorts of things. And
Speaker 4: you know, it's always fantastic to see these students who
Speaker 4: come along and learn skills and participate in these activities
Speaker 4: at camps later on in their journey coming back as
Speaker 4: outdoor leaders running programs and those sorts of things. But
Speaker 4: with bigly, as we say, they've got those those dorm
Speaker 4: facilities and those camp operations, but they've also got some
Speaker 4: camp sites which we do see a lot of families
Speaker 4: come back year on year around Christmas and use them
Speaker 4: and different community groups, church groups, others. And yeah, there's
Speaker 4: a special charm in Bickley. It's the simplicity of the
Speaker 4: bunk beds, the cozy dining hall. You know, it's really
Speaker 4: helped shape a number of people's lives and you really
Speaker 4: looking forward to continue to see what kind of services
Speaker 4: and programs that continue to grow from strength to strength.
Speaker 2: Yeah, David, clearly there's a focus on like minded groups.
Speaker 2: But what about just an individual of someone's for example,
Speaker 2: listening to our conversation tonight and he or she says,
Speaker 2: might I might go up to Bicly on my own?
Speaker 3: Can people do that? Do you take individual bookings?
Speaker 4: Look, people are able to book the campsite those sorts
Speaker 4: of things. In terms of the programs and activities, then yes,
Speaker 4: people can book those, depending on availability and those sorts
Speaker 4: of things. But it really is, like I say, a
Speaker 4: place that everyone should be able to go and enjoy.
Speaker 4: So from that perspective then yeah, you know a lot
Speaker 4: of it is school bookings and other groups and community groups,
Speaker 4: but you know, we do just find that up there.
Speaker 4: It is a place that a lot of people use
Speaker 4: as a base to go hiking, bushwalking, just explore you know,
Speaker 4: So from that perspective, then yeah, you have people booking
Speaker 4: the camp area and using that as a bit of
Speaker 4: a base to go out and explore the natural surrounds.
Speaker 2: Good despite the best intention, shall we say, and the
Speaker 2: clear professionalism that it is quite obviously, quite obviously existed Bickley,
Speaker 2: Unfortunately there are individuals who break the rules. I suppose
Speaker 2: they can't help themselves. So what checks and balances are
Speaker 2: in place to hopefully prevent any untoward incidents arising.
Speaker 4: Look from our perspective, you know, safety is and absolute priority.
Speaker 4: So we've got staff who are on site now. Staff
Speaker 4: are all skilled first datas and trained in the programs
Speaker 4: that they deliver, so whether that be roping, whether that
Speaker 4: be out on the water running you know, kayaking or
Speaker 4: cano ngo sorts of activities and really familiar with the
Speaker 4: grounds the surrounds to make sure that the facility is
Speaker 4: as safe as it possibly can be. But you know,
Speaker 4: you're you're staying and you've got people there guiding you
Speaker 4: through who are very skilled to what they're doing, really
Speaker 4: are very knowledgeable. And before we've bigly what you find
Speaker 4: is that people working there been there for a long time.
Speaker 4: They just love it. Attending the eightieth anniversary afternoon tea
Speaker 4: back on Desertive Joune, there was just so many people
Speaker 4: there who went back there talking about fond memories having
Speaker 4: worked there for twenty or thirty years because they love
Speaker 4: that part of the world, They love the bush there.
Speaker 4: So you've got really experienced people who love and appreciate
Speaker 4: that nature, that environment out there running these programs. So
Speaker 4: it's yeah, really, you know, safety is are an absolute priority,
Speaker 4: and we've got the right people there to guide and
Speaker 4: help share those experiences with people.
Speaker 2: If there are people who just try to make up
Speaker 2: their own rules or don't observe the rules that are
Speaker 2: in place, what measures have your people got who possibly
Speaker 2: want a victim from the camp itself.
Speaker 4: We would hope that it never got to that, but
Speaker 4: certainly when we're running programs are within camps, there's rules
Speaker 4: that make sure that everyone knows what's expected in them,
Speaker 4: so as well as the instructors being skilled and qualified
Speaker 4: teaching what they do, people need to operate within the
Speaker 4: right rules and that's for everyone safety. So if you're
Speaker 4: attending a camp and you've got one person who's not
Speaker 4: operating within the rules or safely, then that can experience
Speaker 4: or impact the experience of others. So we'd certainly make
Speaker 4: sure that people are operating in a safe environment. And
Speaker 4: if you want to participate that those kinds of activities,
Speaker 4: you need to do so within those rules, because you're
Speaker 4: talking about activities that if not done correct if not
Speaker 4: done correctly, can be dangerous. And whether that be at
Speaker 4: height or whether that be at a camp, those sorts
Speaker 4: of things. But you know, if done in the right way,
Speaker 4: which ninety nine point nine percent of people do, then
Speaker 4: I think they've been really successful programs. Very few injuries.
Speaker 4: They're putting in a few bumps and bruises and those
Speaker 4: sorts of things along the way, but for the most part,
Speaker 4: people want to do the right things. They want to
Speaker 4: enjoy their camp.
Speaker 2: All right, David, Well, thank you very much for your
Speaker 2: time tonight on remember when you've given us a great
Speaker 2: insight in to the Bigley Outdoor Recreation Camp, which is
Speaker 2: celebrating its eightieth birthday, and we wish you all the
Speaker 2: best for the future.
Speaker 3: The next day to year is no rius.
Speaker 4: Thanks very much, really appreciate it.