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