Les Gandar set up the Rural Education Activity Programme. I worked as a Community Education Organiser for the southern King Country for a few years. A local committee decided within a budget the shape of organisation they wanted.
We also had someone with specialist knowledge either released from a school or seconded into the town to do professional development around an area of teacher weakness. And two early childhood workers that made playgroups viable despite low numbers.
My job involved needs assessment and then setting up courses or programmes. Big range. Will post on shearing some other time.
We used the army tutors a fair bit. Good perk job for them. Cake decorating.
John Fagan used to run fencing courses when he was national champ.
The Labour Department used to do explosive handling courses which resulted in problem stumps being moved and new drains being opened on farms.
A very profitable course was when we brought one of NZ tax experts to town for a Tax and Trust Planning for Farmers seminar. He didn’t charge us much because he got plenty of clients each time. And the farmers enjoyed seeing each other. Big mistake by me the first year. Choice of two dishes for lunch at the local pub – I did the menu and chose beef and lamb. Apparently they got plenty of that at home.
Lots of playcentre training funded from those seminars but big damage to the tax base too.
A heart warming story Trevor,
It’s nice that the community pulled together like that.