QORF eNews December 2015

Merry Christmas from all of us at QORF. Have a happy, relaxing and fun time in the outdoors during the holidays. You gotta love a Queensland Christmas! :-)

EO's Report

What do you call Father Christmas at the beach? Sandy Claus! (That’s the bad cracker joke for 2015 over and done with…)

My thanks to all QORF staff and the members of the Management Committee who have contributed to our successes over the last 12 months. 2015 has been a year of change for QORF staff and QORF Management Committee. Throughout these changes, QORF has continued to represent our members and focus on our mission of raising the profile, developing the capacity and increasing opportunities for outdoor recreation in Queensland.

Recently, QORF made a submission to the Queensland Parliamentary Committee in relation to the Nature Conservation Act and Other Legislation Amendment Bill. Our submission was about ensuring that outdoor recreation and education activities continue to be specifically provided for in National Parks and Conservation Parks, and improving consultation in relation to outdoor recreation across Queensland’s protected area estate. The committee is scheduled to report in February 2016, so we will be keenly watching that space and providing further information.

Dom Courtney, QORF EO

In early December, I attended the Australian Mountain Bike Summit at Mt Buller, Victoria, which was of course focussed on mountain biking, but also provided information of relevance to other outdoor recreation activities, particularly in relation to promotion of activities/destinations to attract tourism and the almighty dollar. We’ll provide more detail about that in 2016.

With the revamped Cabinet team announced by Premier Palaszczuk on Monday 8th December, the Hon. Curtis Pitt MP is now Queensland’s Minister for Sport (and Recreation), in addition to being Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. Mr Pitt was Opposition Spokesperson for Sport and Recreation from April 2012 to February 2014. QORF has requested a meeting with Mr Pitt to discuss outdoor recreation.

As advised in the previous newsletter, the QORF office will be closed from Friday 18th December 2015; reopening on Monday 4th January 2016. I will have the mobile phone with me, so please call me for urgent issues.

Merry Christmas from QORF, and a happy New Year!

Dom

Xmas Closing Dates
The QORF Office will be closed from Friday 18th December and reopen on Monday 4th January.

Five Vital Checks

There are 'Five Vital Check s' to take note of when planning your boating trip:

Warnings current for your area
Weather conditions
Wind conditions
Wave conditions
Tide times

Before heading out on the water make sure you check the Bureau of Meteorology's round-the-clock forecast service for all Queensland coastal waters.

Visioning the Outdoors

Visioning the Outdoors Film & Photo Comp is now OPEN

Local Government Elections

QORF will be endeavouring to influence candidates for the upcoming local government elections, to be held across Queensland on 19 March 2016.

On behalf of our members, QORF will advocate on the various issues affecting the provision of outdoor recreation in Queensland. To represent you in the best way possible we are asking for your input and feedback on the most pressing matters - email us with your concerns, your questions and your positive experiences in your region - things that are going well and need to be maintained going forward.

YOUR INPUT

Nature Play QLD

Applications are invited for the position of part-time Community Engagement and Resource Coordinator with Nature Play QLD.

Responsibilities include managing Nature Play QLD resources and assisting in the development and delivery of events.

For more information please refer to the Info Pack or call 07 3367 1989. Applications close Sunday, 3rd January 2016.

NOEC 2016

Register NOW for the 2016 National Outdoor Education
Conference

Tuesday 29 March to Friday 1 April
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Outdoor Education Australia (OEA) is pleased to announce that bookings for NOEC 2016 are now OPEN.

Visit the new OEA website for all the details and to register.

OEA WEBSITE

Are you an outdoor leader, educator, guide, instructor, coordinator or manager in the outdoor industry in Australia? If the answer is YES then researcher David Marsden invites you to contribute to The Australian Outdoor Education Leadership Survey

MTB Skills Course Opens

Mountain bike riders looking to test their skills this summer can head to the new Mountain Bike Skills Course at the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre at The Gap in Brisbane’s north-west.

Daisy Hill Action Plan

Help Mick de Brenni, MP for Springwood, improve Daisy Hill State Forest for mountain bikers, horse riders, conservationists and trail walkers alike.

Social
Media

With the ever increasing importance
of social media as a marketing tool and way of keeping in touch, QORF is developing a solid social media presence. We encourage you to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube, follow us on Instagram and follow us on LinkedIn.

LIKE, FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE to us and we will reciprocate!! A good way for us all to keep in touch and improve our effectiveness.

Coming Events

We have a Leaders Wilderness First Aid course from Jan 7, World Wetlands Day on Feb 2 and Parks Week from March 5

Use a QORF hashtag (#QORF) with your Instagram photos
and they will be displayed on our homepage

W hat's On

The online calendar of What's On Activities, Events, Training & Workshops

If you have an event, public training opportunity, open day, adventure race, workshop or conference coming up in 2016, submit the details and we will help promote it.

Jobs

Several new jobs are listed on our Jobs Available page in the Industry / Jobs & Careers section

If you have jobs to fill, gear to sell, links to share, events to promote or information to pass on, send us an email with all the details and we'll put it up online.

New Green Circle Members

Go to the Membership section to become a QORF Green Circle Member today. New member pages will be acknowledged here, on the QORF home page and on Facebook.

Exceeding Expectations

Welcome aboard to new QORF Green Circle Member, Exceeding Expectations, offering Business, Leadership, Team, Relationship and Life Coaching.

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