| John entered the Outdoor Recreation sector in 1976 as an Instructor for the NSW Department of Corrective Services, where he developed methods of facilitating social change for convicted prisoners on a program called “Project Survival. This Outward Bound style program was the for-runner of today’s young offenders program currently being delivered at the Oberon Correctional Centre.
John founded his first Outdoor company, Underground Expeditions, in 1981 with a goal of delivering quality adventure programs to the general public with an environmental and risk management focus.
In 1994 he opened The Pitch Indoor Climbing Centre at Wetherill Park, the 7th commercial climbing facility in Australia and was a founding member and President of the Australian Climbing Gyms Association. At this time John & his wife, Dulcie, formed Above & Below Adventure Company as the umbrella to the training organisation, the mobile climbing walls and the climbing hold manufacturing business, X-es.
During this period of industry evolution came the assembly of outdoor recreation guidelines and benchmarks which were moving forward nationally resulting in him becoming engaged in the first Outdoor Recreation Industry Training Package development. At the culmination of the delivery of the training package Above and Below Adventure Company became a Registered Training Organisation in 1999.
John sits on several committees including the Industry Advisory Committee to Service Skills Australia, Outdoor Council of Australia and the NSW Sport & Recreation Industry Standing Committee advising on Outdoor Recreation and Outdoor Education matters. |
