Sandy brings to the board a range of experience and expertise from across the Outdoor Education sector. She has worked as a freelancer, in corporate outdoor training, as a PE teacher and as an Outdoor Education Director in schools before moving into the tertiary sector where she has spent the past 3 decades developing and implementing Outdoor Education courses for Deakin University and Australian Catholic University. As part of this process of curriculum and program development she has had the opportunity to work alongside multiple outdoor activity providers and outdoor pursuits associations in a wide range of natural environments. She has published in a range of areas including wages and conditions in the outdoor profession, outdoor education program outcomes, risk management, bush adventure therapy, leadership programs in developing nations and gender equity in outdoor and environmental education. Sandy has played an active role with the Victorian Outdoor Education Association (VOEA) the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) and Bushwalking Mountain Craft Training Advisory Board (BMTAB), in a variety of roles across many years. She is presently the National Coordinator for the Outdoor Leadership and Outdoor Education units across the multiple campuses of Australian Catholic University. She has been awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council citation, for outstanding contribution to student learning. Sandy believes that every person should have the opportunity to experience the joy and wellbeing that time in the outdoors can bring and the power these experiences can have for the ongoing protection and care of our natural environments and hopes that her role on the OV board will enable the support of initiatives and endeavours in all things “outdoors”.

Sophie has now moved away from daily operations to focus on more strategic, longer term planning and property development across both BIG4 Bellarine and BIG4 Anglesea Holiday Parks in addition to accepting Social Media speaking engagements some of which include:

Social Media Tourism Symposium, Barossa Valley, South Australia –

“BIG4 Bellarine – A Social Case Study”

Awarded: Innovative Initiative Winner and Best Presentation Winner

 

Outback Queensland Tourism Symposium, Barcaldine, Queensland –

“Emotional Investment – the New Social Currency”

 

Tourism and Events Industry Development Conference, Townsville, Queensland – “Social Media – Maximising Engagement and ROI”

Prior to the BIG4 Bellarine development, Sophie founded Red Frog Copywriting, a start-up business working with Marketing and Advertising agencies crafting key messages and communications strategies.

Sophie started her professional career at Ballarat and Clarendon College as Head of the Senior English Department, after completing a Politics Major at The University of Melbourne followed by a Post Graduate Diploma of Education at Monash University.

Sophie currently sits on the BIG4 Holiday Parks of Australia Board as a Non Executive board member.

With four boys (Jack, Lachie, Ted and Max) aged between 8 and 13 years of age, Sophie is holding on for the ride!

Sophie welcomes the opportunity to join the Outdoors Victoria Board of Directors and being able to commit time to the interests of the group as dynamic, responsive, thought leaders within the outdoors sector.

Reegan has developed her operational capabilities in Public Information as part of incident management teams since 2007. In 2012 she represented Australia as the Public Information Officer in a cooperative research deployment to southern France, and undertook a study tour of the USA in 2015 to look at the provision of information during emergencies in major cities. Prior to working in emergency management, Reegan’s experience spans multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns, media management for national and international sporting events, promotion of some of the world’s biggest brands and a double degree in Business/Marketing and Communications/Public Relations.

As a qualified Outdoor Education teacher, he has taught in a variety of outdoor educational settings including secondary schools, residential outdoor schools and the tertiary sector. Since 2000, Steve has undertaking roles within the Principal Class of the Victorian Department of Education and Training.  He holds a Master’s in Education from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma in Outdoor Education from Latrobe University, a Graduate Diploma in Education Administration from Melbourne University and a Bachelor of Education from The University of Ballarat. Steve is passionate and committed to the benefits of learning in the outdoors and continues this support through his participation on the OV Board.

His has worked with youth and adults with mental health issues, drug and alcohol problems, asylum seekers, youth bereaved by suicide and young people coming out of the justice system with intellectual disabilities. From his current position at St Josephs Youth Plus and past experience, he brings an understanding of the benefits for disenfranchised and marginalised people accessing the outdoors. Michael sits on the committee, Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy as deputy chairperson.  He is also the Chairperson of the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF) Fundraising Committee.Michael is passionate about the outdoors and the healing that can be achieved from time immersed in it. He regularly embarks on personal journeys in nature for leisure, challenge and to just hang out with awesome people.