Teaching community for 40 years
This year, Community Education in Whanganui turns 40.
At a time when many community education providers throughout the country have caved in to funding cuts and difficulties, this is a reflection on the Whanganui people who saw the value of community education and fought hard to keep it going, say Community Education Whanganui chairperson Andrea Bullock and longstanding tutor and board member, Gina Guigou.
For the past few months they have been meeting to build a time-line of their Whanganui history.
Together they have produced a booklet about the service since its inception in 1979. It tells how tertiary and community education helped each other.
In the 1970s, it was recognised there was a real need for tertiary education in Whanganui and district. A public meeting was held by the Wanganui District Council and MP Russell Marshall in 1978 and a promotion committee selected to garner community support to get a tertiary institution off the ground.
It turned out to be a longer process — seven years — until a Community College was approved. The Department of Education asked what was proposed for the houses on the site and the Promotion Committee quickly set up the bones for community education.
Community Education became an incorporated society in August 1979, known as CES.
“We had the use of 66 and 68 Dublin St and volunteers from the clubs that used the rooms pitched in to paint the buildings and tend the gardens. It was all very social with barbecues at the end of the day,” says Andrea. “CES had a strong relationship with Wanganui Community Polytechnic and they had members on our committee as we had members on theirs. We also had the use of rooms on the Polytechnic site, and in 1995 we received payment from the Polytechnic in exchange for our enrolments.”
Some of the groups had designated rooms and other groups rented rooms as required.
“It’s really amazing, all the different organisations that used that space,” says Gina. As the Winemakers and Brewers were using one room, AA was across the hall.
Some of the courses on offer in the 1980s were Adult Reading, Canoe Club, Doll Club, Embroidery Club, Employment Promotion Association, French Club, Gay Rights, Human Relationships, Music Therapy, Painting, Horticulture, Ceramics, Language, Budgeting, Ma¯ ori Arts, Creative Writing, Effective Parenting and more.
“UCOL picked up the contract we had with Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic and in 2009 we moved to Taupo¯ Quay. We lost some of our established groups and we had to develop more courses, for example, working with the prison and community groups to benefit both parties,” says Andrea.
“We gradually lost funding due to Government changes and now we are totally dependent on funding applications and grants.
“We have had great support from UCOL and Whanganui District Council, our sponsors.
“We have had seven coordinators / managers, 10 chairpersons and we are now called Community Education Whanganui and continue to respond to the needs of the community. We have had to diversify to remain in Whanganui.”
This is the only autonomous Community Education provider based in New Zealand and with changes in funding in 2012 most other areas closed their doors.
“We have come full circle, having been dependent upon community support to get started, and now we are needing community support to survive.”
Community Education has an exhibition opening on September 13 and courses on offer for the two weeks will celebrate some of the courses offered over the past 40 years.
There are also free Celebration Courses:
Wednesday, September 4, 3-5pm — Embroidered Badges with Beck White.
Thursday, September 5, 2-4pm — Painting Lecture with Pauline Allomes.
Tuesday, September 17, 5.15-6.45pm — Blokes in Pinnies with Joe Power.
Wednesday, September 18, 5.15-6.30pm — Fun with Wool: Crochet Introduction with Angela Duncan.
Thursday, September 19, 5.15-6.30pm — Self Care Massage with Paul Duxfield.