History
APEN was born at a breakfast meeting at the 1st Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Surfers Paradise QLD. The following people formed the interim committee to manage the establishment of APEN.
The Core Working Group comprised:
- Terry Makin, Farmer, Victoria (Chair)
- Bob Macadam, University of Western Sydney, NSW
- Ian Simpson, NSW Agriculture
- Peter Van Beek, Queensland Department of Primary Industries
The other members of the Interim Steering Group were:
|
John Bourne, Primary Industries, SA |
Tim Kepui, Dept of Agriculture and Livestock, Papua New Guinea | Tom Price, Berrimah Agricultural Research Centre, NT |
| Peter Davies, NSW Dept of Conservation and Land Management | John Lacey, NSW Agriculture | Warren Straw, Dept of Agriculture, Vic |
| Bruce Frank, University of Queensland | Alan McRae, Massey University, NZ | Frank Walker, Dept of Primary Industry and Forestry, TAs |
| Ann Hanger, Qld Dept of Primary Industries | Peter Nash, WA Dept of Agriculture | |
| Stuart Hawkins, Melbourne University, Vic | David Palapu, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp |
The timeline below provides a chronology of national events and other notable milestones since APEN commenced in 1993. Local activities were not included as there were too many to list.
2020
- Reviewed and revised the APEN Strategic Plan, developing a 2019-20 action plan and production of a two-page Strategic Directions flyer
- Reviewed the APEN Conference 2019 survey results
- Investigated possible future APEN Conferences being held jointly with other organisations
- Developed an APEN membership value proposition statement – this includes a review of APEN membership categories
- Developed of an APEN membership Code of Ethics
- Reviewed the inaugural APEN Constitution of the company so that it better aligns with APEN’s practices – the proposed new constitution being is being put to a vote of the membership at the 2020 AGM
- Developed the following: Letter of Support policy, APEN Champion policy, Code of Conduct for the Board
- Provided input into the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) Strategic Plan
- Reviewed the APEN website analytics
- Created a Covid-19 resource page on the APEN website and an on-line payment system
- Created an APEN YouTube Channel for hosting of APEN Webinars and ExtensionChat videos
- The proposed APEN Conference 2021 received an excellent application from New Zealand. However, owing to the impacts of COVID-19 on economies and possible travel restrictions further thought is being given to how we might progress our 2021 conference. Our participation at the 2020 World Congress of Rural Sociology in June 2020 in Cairns could not go ahead because its postponement due to COVID-19.
- The decision to replace the Roadshow series run in alternate years to the conference with more regionally focused events was proposed and endorsed by the APEN Board. Once again COVID-19 has impacted the delivery of these regional activities this year.
- Held four APEN Webinars : Small group extension for sheep and beef farmers in New Zealand – what have we been learning? – Denise Brewsell, Red Meat for Profit Partnership, How to work remotely! - to help with these challenging times – Cynthia Mahoney and Andrew Huffer, Drivers and barriers to drought preparedness and management: findings and insights from behavioural and social science – Fiona McCartney, Dept of Environment and Science, Queensland, Designing Extension Programming for Impact with the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative in the U.S. co-operative Extension Service – Ashley Griffin, Megan Hirschman, Molly Immendorf and Aaron Weibe
- Held the inaugural ExtensionChat - APEN Online with four sessions in September: What’s new in extension (and how to use it to improve the effectiveness of your work) – Dr John James, Enablers of Change (1 September 2020), Evaluating extension: why you should fund my (next) project – Dr Jeff Coutts, Coutts J&R (8 September 2020), Supporting change – the holy grail of extension – Denise Bewsell, Red Meat for Profit (15 September 2020), Facilitating Tips & Tools – Jeanette Long, Ag Consulting Co (22 September 2020)
- APEN Celebrating International Day of Rural Women 15 October 2020 - "Conversations over a cuppa"
2019
- Developed terms of reference for the four new Board Committees
- Sought interest from the membership to participate in APEN’s Board Committees
- Adopted a Conflicts of Interest Policy for the Board
- Joined APEN as a category A member of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) and appointed Dr Roy Murray-Prior as APEN’s delegate
- Declined the offer by AgriFutures Australia to participate as a partner in the ExtensionAus Community of Practice – this position will be reconsidered in response to any future changes in APEN’s financial position
- Adopted the APEN Board Duty of Solvency policy
- Three APEN Webinars were held: Don’t be such a bloody expert: engaging field days and participatory field work – Dr Kathy Evans, How the groups we belong to influence our Environmental Attitudes and Behaviour – Assoc Prof Kelly Fielding, Jumping the gun – preparing for greenhouse gas legislation – Dr Terry Parminter
- The APEN Mentoring Scheme had three intakes: 16 pairs in the 2019 scheme starting in March 2019, and two cohorts of QFF trainees. The conference provided opportunity for mentees and mentors to meet in person
- APEN 2019 Conference, Darwin NT, 12-13 September - very successful, with two pre-conference workshops and other industry/sector meetings around the conference. The AGM was held on 12 September when awards were presented: the APEN Award for Excellence in Extension by an Experienced Professional was awarded to Sophie Lapsley, APEN's fourth Life Membership was awarded to Dr Ruth Nettle
2018
- Inaugural Board first face-to-face strategy planning meeting at Horticulture Innovations Australia in Sydney, mid January with Regional Coordinators also.
- 2018 Mentoring Scheme facilitated by Jeanette Gellard commenced in March. Mini-training webinars introduced and well accepted.
- New website launched.
- APEN Webinars facilitated by Leanne Isaacson; The Unwritten Code - How social norms can operate in a rural community; The Unwritten Code: How practice norms change in a rural community, How does risk effect the adoption of on-farm practices? And how can you tailor your package to address this risk?; To co-innovate or not to co-innovate? That is the question; Don’t be such a bloody expert: engaging field days and participatory field work
- APEN Roadshow workshops "Tips, Tricks and a Little Bit of Extension Magic" delivered in Tauranga and Christchurch NZ, Toowoomba, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Launceston, Melbourne, Wagga Wagga, Armidale, Townsville and Bundaberg.
- Board training, AGM at Meat and Livestock Australia Brisbane and 25 years of APEN Celebratory Dinner, October. Special edition of ExtensionNet
- First Life Memberships awarded; Terry Makin, Jeff Coutts and John James
- Quarterly meetings of Board committees introduced, November; Audit Risk & Financial Control, Governance & Strategy, Business Development, Stakeholder Engagement
- APEN members invited to join the Board committees.
2017
- Special General Meeting held on March 24. Resolutions to change the APEN governance to a Company Limited by Guarantee and to revise the constitution passed.
- APEN Webinars facilitated by Leanne Isaacson; "The push for more collaboration on-line, On-line Communities of Practice, using on-line tools, what it is like to work with people in this way and the new RIRDC Extension Hub and how it functions!",
"Insights into Australia’s Banana Extension Program", "VegNET –Vegetable growers’ vital link to R&D on the ground", "Farmstrong NZ, live well farm well" - 2017 APEN/GFRAS International Conference, 12-15 September, Townsville - "Facilitating balanced change for rural and urban communities." including the AGM. The APEN Award for Excellence in Extension by an Experienced Professional was awarded to Heather Collins, NZ.
- The new constitution was passed at the AGM and five Directors were elected for the Board including Graham Harris as President. Regional Coordinators were elected for the Regional Activities Committee.
- APEN was certified as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 16 November 2017.
2016
- APEN represented at a hearing with the Standing Committee on Ag Innovation.
- ExtensionNet published on-line. A hardcopy to be sent to members once a year - the APEN Annual Report after the AGM.
- APEN Roadshow workshops "Program Logic, a tool for more effective change programs" delivered in NSW, SA, Qld, Tasmania, North and South Island New Zealand and Northern Territory.
- APEN Webinars facilitated by Leanne Isaacson; "Helping farmers make better decisions.", "Influencing the influencers.", "Video and Extension", "Are discussion groups still relevant?", "Building a rural business network."'
- Two APEN MC members on the steering committee of the RIRDC project "Extension and Adoption for Australian Farmers and Fishers".
- Review of APEN structure and governance.
- Special Management Committee meeting to review APEN strategy, Sydney, 10-11 November. The AGM held in person and by web conference/teleconference.
2015
- APEN represented at a review of education in Agriculture in TAFE and higher education. February 2015
- APEN Webinars run by Leanne Isaacson, "Using LinkedIn as an effective business and networking tool.", "Using Twitter and live streaming as an extension tool."
- 2015 Member survey
- MOU with AIA - member rates at each others' events
- APEN Submission to Standing Committee on Ag Innovation, November 2015
- 2015 APEN Conference, 10-12 November, Adelaide - "Managing change, innovation and action in an ever shrinking world." including the AGM. The APEN Award for Excellence in Extension by an Experienced Professional was awarded to two people and the Amabel Fulton APEN Award for Excellence in Extension by a Young Professional was awarded.
2014
- Special Management Committee meeting to review APEN strategy, Melbourne 20-21 February 2014
- Navigating the app development minefield, 19 March 2014 (Webinar)
- Extension Farming Systems Journal transferred from the AFBM Network at Charles Sturt University to APEN, March 2014
- Submission to the Australian Government for the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper, April 2014
- Designing Effective Events - Using Adult Learning Principles, APEN Roadshow workshops, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and three in Western Australia.
- Effective Promotion Using What's Already in Your Kitchen Cupboard, APEN Roadshow workshop, New South Wales
- Using Google’s free products to enable change, 4 June 2014 (Webinar)
- Managing an effective change project, 6 August 2014 (Webinar)
- Punching above their weight - The New Zealand Kiwifruit extension story, Shane Max, Orchard Productivity Manager- Global Supply, Zespri International Ltd, Friday, 29 August, 2014, followed by the 20th AGM (Presentation and AGM - via webinar and teleconference)
- APEN President spoke at Sugar Industry Conference in Townsville on the future of extension, November 2014.
2013
- Business Development Officer appointed February 2013 to grow the capacity of APEN, increase/improve service delivery to members and increase revenue to APEN through memberships, events income, grants, sponsorships and payment for services
- APEN’s 20th birthday
- New APEN website goes live, February 2013
- APEN and Ag Institute Australia (AIA) workshop on “Right-minded research and extension” and Public Agricultural R&D and productivity: Recent U.S. and global trends and emerging implications”, Melbourne, Victoria, 14 February 2013.
- The seven secrets of good monitoring and evaluation, 26 April 2013 (Webinar)
- Cluster Coordinators, 6 June 2013 (Webinar)
- Designing projects for practice change and measuring impact, 21 August 2013 (Webinar)
- Transformative Change: Chosen or Unchosen – Pathways to innovation, resilience and prosperity, ICNZ13, Christchurch New Zealand, 26-28 August 2013 (International Conference and AGM)
- Using an innovation systems approach to achieve remarkable change, 19 September 2013 (Webinar)
- Extension Farming Systems Journal name changed to Rural Extension and Innovation Systems (REIS) Journal
- APEN Social media strategy released, October 2013
- Using LinkedIn to your advantage, 23 October 2013 (Webinar)
- AACREA – a highly effective Argentine approach to enabling change, 28 November 2013 (Webinar)
2012
- APEN’s Member Survey
- APEN affiliates with the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) and Asia-Pacific Islands Rural Advisory Services (APIRAS), March 2012
- Predicting and improving adoption of agricultural innovations, 16 May 2012 (Webinar) (Start of APEN supported Enabling Change and Innovation webinar series run by John James, DAFF Qld and Citrix)
- The science of innovation: evidence based methods to drive creative thinking, 4 July 2012 (Webinar)
- APEN participates in Horticultural Industry Development Officer’s Forum, Horticulture Australia, 8-9 August 2012
- Designing effective surveys in three easy steps, 14 August 2012 (Webinar)
- Using online tools (and trolls) to engage the public, 18 September 2012 (Webinar)
- APEN provides submission for the Australian Government’s National Food Plan, October 2012
- Who gives a twit about Twitter, 30 October 2012 (Webinar)
- Where ‘Best Practice’ meets the ‘Unknown Unknowns’ - Changing Behaviour When You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, Heather Watson - Executive Director of Farm Management Canada, Thursday, 6 December 2012 (Presentation and AGM - via webinar and teleconference)
2011
- Shaping Change: Natural Resource Management, Agriculture and the Role of Extension was launched at the Dairy Leaders Luncheon in Melbourne 1st February. (Publication)
- Rural community leaders - working with them, being one, 14 June 2010 (Webinar)
- APEN commences on Facebook, August 2011
- APEN President’s Blog commences, August 2011 (www.apenpresident.blogspot.com)
- APEN commences on Twitter, September 2011
- APEN receives funding for the project “Fast Tracking the Next Generation of Regional Change Professionals” from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to support eleven young extension professionals to the National Forum and in APEN’s mentoring program.
- Hitting a Moving Target - Sustaining landscapes, livelihoods and lifestyles in a changing world, Armidale, New South Wales, 28-30 November 2011 (National Forum and AGM)
2010
- Farming Ahead, Sydney, New South Wales, September 2010 (Kondinin/APEN National Conference)
- Reaching busy small landholders - a growing rural asset, 24 March 2010 (Webinar)
- Working with grower groups, 4 August 2010 (Webinar)
- Future of extension in Australia under a National Extension Framework, 25 November 2010 (Presentation and AGM - via hybrid webinar and teleconference)
2009
- Fostering Rural Innovation and Change, APEN Roadshow (6 states, 11 destinations and 254 participants in 24 days), 18 February to 13 March 2009 (Toowoomba – Qld, Brisbane – Qld, Mareeba – Qld, Perth – WA, Darwin – NT, Adelaide – SA, Hobart – Tas, Melbourne – Vic, Wodonga – Vic, Canberra – ACT, Sydney – NSW)
- Shaping Change in Communities – Dimensions of Excellence, 5th Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Busselton, Western Australia, 9 to 12 November 2009 (International Conference and AGM)
- Young Professional Award renamed the Amabel Fulton Award for Excellence in Extension by a Young Professional in memory of the late Amabel Fulton who was a major contributor to APEN and the development of extension in Australia
2008
- AGM, 27 November 2008 (Teleconference)
2007
- Capture, Consolidate & Communicate, Canberra, ACT, 13 to 14 November 2007 (National Forum and AGM) Prospective authors highlight their chapters for a text book on extension to the 120 delegates. The book was published in February 2011 and called Shaping Change: Natural Resource Management, Agriculture and the Role of Extension.
- Strategic alliance established with Greening Australia, November 2007
2006
- Practice change for sustainable communities: Exploring footprints, pathways and possibilities, 4th Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Beechworth, Victoria, 6 to 8 March 2006 (International Conference)
2005
- Leading the future, Melbourne, Victoria, 15 to 16 June 2005 (National Forum) – This was the culmination of a series of regional workshops: Launceston – Tas, Toowoomba – Qld, Naracoorte – SA, Albury - NSW/Wodonga – Vic, Busselton – WA, Melbourne – Vic, Hobart – Tas (APEN/Rural Development Services)
- Members Survey
- Industry Development and Practice Change Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand, 4 October 2005
- APEN helped establish the State Extension Leaders Network (SELN)
- Submission to the Australian House of Representatives Agriculture Committee into rural skills training
- AGM, 15 November 2005 (Teleconference)
- Building capacity for sustainability resource management …moving a wheelbarrow full of frogs, Natural Resource Management Extension Symposium, Toowoomba, Queensland, 28 to 29 September 2005 (CIRM/ISRD – CQU/APEN/SIP-SE04 Project)
- Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building (CVCB) – Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation/APEN Roadshow, 9 to 23 November, 2005 (Toowoomba – Qld, Mareeba – Qld, Darwin – NT, Adelaide – SA, Melbourne – Vic, Hobart – Tas)
2004
- National Extension Policy Forum, Sydney, New South Wales, 21 to 22 July 2004
- First eBulletin sent out in September 2004
- New constitution passed by Management Committee 18 November 2004
- As part of the new constitution Chapters changed to Clusters and the National Executive now called the Management Committee
- Learning and Human Capability, Hamilton New Zealand, 23 to 24 November 2004 (APEN/AgResearch Conference)
2003
- Extending extension – beyond traditional boundaries, methods, ways of thinking, Hobart, Tasmania, 26 to 28 November 2003 (National Forum & AGM)
- APEN’s 10th birthday
- APEN Member’s Survey
2002
- Workshop to explore the possibility of a national accreditation scheme, Canberra, ACT, March 2002
- Managing in a time of climate and landscape change, Tatura, Victoria, 8 November 2002 (AAAC/APEN Workshop and APEN AGM)
2001
- In March APEN representatives were privileged to be part of the start of a new extension network – Philippines Extension Network (PEN).
- Contemporary extension as a powerful vehicle for regional change, 3rd Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Toowoomba, Queensland, 3 to 5 September 2001 (International Conference and AGM)
- Launch of a new APEN website (www.apen.org.au)
2000
- Creating a Climate for Change: Extension in Australasia, Melbourne, Victoria, 26 to 27 October 2000 (National Forum and AGM)
- APEN list server and email groups commenced operations nationally in December 2000
- APEN is awarded a grant of $18,500 by AusAID to help establish a similar professional association in the Philippines for extension practitioners.
1999
- Evolving Systems - Challenged minds, Perth, Western Australia, 11 to 12 November 1999 (National Forum and AGM)
- Inaugural APEN Award for Excellence in Extension awarded at National Forum in Perth
1998
- Partnerships in Extension – Extending the Boundaries, Roseworthy, South Australia, December 2 to 3 December 1998 (National Forum and AGM)
1997
- APEN internet site launched through Charles Sturt University (http://life.csu.edu.au/apen/)
- Managing Change – Building knowledge and skills, 2nd Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Albury, New South Wales, 18 to 21 November 1997. (International Conference and AGM)
1996
- Journal and Reference Lists in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development released in November 1996 by APEN and The Rural Extension Centre (The University of Queensland – Gatton College)
- Beyond Technology Transfer, Melbourne, Victoria, 5 to 6 December 1996 (National Forum and AGM)
1995
- AgriLogic Consultants (later called Creative Management Services) takes over the Secretariat role.
- Monitoring and Evaluation in Extension, Albury, New South Wales – Wodonga, Victoria, 30 November – 1 December 1995 (National Forum and AGM)
1994
- APEN incorporated on 9 August 1994 in Victoria
- Australian Institute of Agricultural Science appointed as the APEN secretariat.
- First corporate sponsors Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Agriculture Victoria
- Best practice in communication and extension in Agri-industry, Melbourne, Victoria, 22 to 23 November 1994 (Australian Institute of Agricultural Science/APEN Forum)
- APEN gains a logo!
1993
- 1st Australasia Pacific Extension Conference, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, 12 to 14 October 1993 (International Conference)
- APEN was born at a breakfast meeting at the 1st Australasia Pacific Extension Conference.
- The first ExtensionNet newsletter sent out in December 1993.