Phil White - Tour Leader
Ballajura Community College
Phil commenced his career with the Department of Education in 1977 and has worked in a number of schools since that time as a classroom teacher, Year Coordinator, Head of Department and Vice Principal. Furthermore he has served on the Ancient History Syllabus Committee, as President of the Ancient History Teachers Association, as a member of the Society and Environment Consultative Group and more recently as a member of the Society & Environment Post Compulsory Reference Group. In 1995, Phil completed a Masters in Educational Management at UWA.
Phil is currently the Vice Principal managing the Senior Campus where he is responsible for the educational leadership of 950 Year 10, 11 & 12 students and 55 staff. Phil is also a member of the District Senior Schooling Committee and the District Leadership & Workforce Effectiveness Committee.
In addition to his work in education, Phil has a second career in the Army where he holds the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve and is the Commandant of the Regional Training Centre - WA. RTC-WA is an integrated unit responsible for officer & soldier trade &/or promotion training. Phil served as the Tour Leader of the inaugural Anzac Student Tour to France and England in 2004 and is very much looking forward to his second tour.
Robyn Cleaver - Deputy Leader
Narrogin Senior High School
Robyn Cleaver is currently the Head of the Society, Environment and Languages Department at Narrogin SHS, where she has worked for the past five years. A History specialist, Robyn's particular interests include 20th Century Australia and international affairs and her students are regular participants in such initiatives as the National History Challenge, the Simpson Prize and the Sir Charles Court Young Leaders Program. In 2003, Robyn was named the joint national winner of the Democracy Achievement Award, recognising her endeavours in developing civics and citizenship education programs at Narrogin and within the wider education community.
Robyn has extensive experience in managing extended school excursions, having coordinated three school tours to Canberra and been seconded to lead student delegations interstate with Tournament of Minds, the Simpson Prize, the National History Challenge, Defence 2020 and the National Schools' Constitutional Convention. In 2004, Robyn was selected as a teacher supervisor on the inaugural Anzac Student Tour to France and England and joins the 2005 tour as the Deputy Tour Leader.
Robert Somerville
AM
Director of Aboriginal Education and Training
Robert commenced his career with the Department of Education in 1978 as a primary teacher. He worked as a principal and deputy principal in a number of schools before being promoted to Superintendent in 1990. He has been a district superintendent and district director leading the Kimberley , Goldfields, Swan and Joondalup Education Districts prior to being promoted to the position of Director of Aboriginal Education and Training in 2003.
Robert was awarded the Order of Australia in the Queens Birthday Honours list in 2003, the Outstanding Aboriginal Educator in 1988 and the Cadet Forces Medal in 2004.
In addition to his work in Education Robert is a Squadron Leader with the Royal Australian Air Force working with the Air Force Cadets. In this role he has had extensive experience working with young people as well as leading overseas military cadet exchanges. Robert is a member of the Premiers ANZAC Taskforce and is the Department's senior officer overseeing both the 2004 and 2005 tours.
Glen Bennett
Department of Education and Training
Glen is currently working as Manager of Post Compulsory (Year 11 & 12 studies) in the Curriculum Directorate of the Department's central office. Glen worked for 10 years as a classroom teacher of Society and Environment, History, Geography and Economics in country and city schools, before a further 10 years as Head of Department History and Economics at Merredin and Lockridge Senior High Schools.
In 1986, Glen was in the Department Central Office as manager of the Social Studies curriculum team, and since then has been closely involved in the Social Sciences and History as Learning Area Superintendent and Principal Curriculum Officer of Society and Environment.
In this role, he chaired the committee that developed the Society and Environment Learning Area Statement in the Curriculum Framework.
Glen has had a long and deep interest in school history studies, and has at various times written History student texts and been TEE examiner for History. As a member of the History Syllabus Committee for 20 years, Glen has been actively involved in school history course development. Over the last two years, he has been a member of the Government's Anzac Day Taskforce and been involved in planning for both the 2004 and 2005 Anzac Student Tours.
Val Downing
Corrigin District High School
Val Downing teaches English, Information Technology and Performing Arts at Corrigin District High School. In recent years she has also taught Society & Environment, French and Physical Education. In 2001 she integrated her teaching of English and Information Technology into a huge project in which the 51 secondary students of Corrigin District High School researched 135 local war stories, and published a 240-page book called The Price of Peace: Corrigin War Memories. Students worked in conjunction with a small team of interested community members (most of them teachers) and the result was absolutely amazing: a book that raised the awareness of Corrigin's heritage amongst students and community alike. His Excellency the Governor, Lieutenant-General John Sanderson AC, wrote the book's foreword, and Jack Wong Sue of Z-Special Force launched the book on 7 December 2001. Six hundred copies were sold by February 2002.
Val involves her students in extra-curricula activities. These have included Wheatbelt Inter-school Debating (Corrigin is presently the champion team); and the West Australian's Make a Newspaper Competition, which they won for five consecutive years. As well as a Canberra camp in 2001, she organised and led a camp of 30 students to Ningaloo in 2003