Personal Profile
Leading Practitioner Achiever - BILL BENYON
Who are you?
Bill Beynon , Gower (Swansea)
Tell us about your most rewarding experience of outdoor learning.
Getting lost with a friend and colleague Chris Allen deep inside a cave on Gower called Tooth Cave. I had taken us through a series of passages and reached the end of the cave with out the aid of a survey, I had not taken any notice of which way we had came and stared to ‘flap’ when I could not remember the route back. I asked Chris if he knew the way back, he replied “nope” cool as a cucumber, I ask how was he so clam, his reply was very Don Whillans-esque, “worrying is not going to get us out of here”. I have been in a few tight spots since and felt annoyed and angry with myself but not worried. Thanks Chris it is good being 20 years older with this advice.
What is your favourite piece of equipment/kit?
Anything Patta-Gucci the best and most environmentally kit there is and it works. Thank you Mr Chouinard.
Outdoor learning is your career but how much of your spare time is spent in outdoor activities?
As a lecturer in Trinity University I have a lot of academic and administration work so any time I get out doors I grab with both hands.
Can you offer one piece of key advice to someone on outdoor learning as a career?
Listen, treat others with respect and kindness, find out what motivates you to do the things that make you happy and make a living doing them to your very best.
Is there a message you would like to get across to the decision makers in education/government?
Stop the no win no fee compensation culture. People need to take the responsibility and risks of suing, if they had something to loose there would be a lot less litigation. And give us paddlers rights to all waters in England and Wales please it is only fair.
How do you see your future role in relation to being a holder of LPIOL and the influence that you might be able to bring to bear in the outdoor field?
I will try to keep outdoor education out of any target driven education systems or targets out of outdoor education, otherwise there could be a serious chance of losing the essence of outdoor education. People connect to the outdoors and its educators in an informal way. Do we really need to measure its outcome every time we venture outdoors?
And finally....
Question Time or Top Gear?
The (it may be I am dyslopsic) Times please, the Sudoku in the T2 section is wicked on Fridays and any one of the other mags if they have pretty girls in them.