Albury Wodonga's outdoor club for bushwalking (and skiing, cycling and canoeing)
Concise notes for leaders on how to organise a walk
Leading walks and other activities is a matter of common sense. The following notes may be of help to new leaders. Those on this page are an abbreviated set. There are more comprehensive notes in the Members' Handbook.
New leaders can ask for a mentor to assist them.
Responsibilities of the leader.
The leader is responsible for devising the activity, advertising it in Footprints, making all the necessary preliminary arrangements, leading the actual activity, making sure that everyone remains safe and obtains the maximum enjoyment from it, and completing the paperwork after the event. This may seem onerous but it will all just fall into place. Some particular points for guidance are listed below:
Booking people in.
Leaders of activities listed in Footprints will receive the applicable forms by mail if they receive their Footprints by mail. For those who receive Footprints by email, the forms can be downloaded from the club's website where you are now. One form is the Walks Booking Form (which should be kept next to your phone). It contains the following columns:. NAME,PHONE, TAKE CAR?, NO OF PASSENGERS, MEMBER? FIT?, KNOW GEAR? and REMARKS. As members phone to book in, simply complete a line for each person. On the day of the event, you should leave a copy with your spouse/partner, an Emergency Contact Person or in your mail box. This form will become important in the event of delays or accidents as it shows who is on the activity.
The other forms are Risk Form - Walks and Trip Report Form
Before the event
Before the actual day, make sure that you have the transport arrangements in hand, and borrow a club first aid kit, map, bivvy bag, EPIRB or GPS if appropriate. All this equipment is kept a Mountain Designs, 490 Dean Street, Albury.
At the assembly point
For most activities we assemble at the car-park immediately in from of the Wodonga Council offices, but the choice is yours. At the assembly point get the Bushwalking Victoria form ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISKS AND OBLIGATIONS OF TEMPORARY MEMBERS (called Risk Form - Walks above) signed by non-member participants . Also collect the non-member's fee, currently $5, and give it to the treasurer when convenient. Give the group an overview of what is intended, and in particular where all the cars will rendezvous. Allocate people to cars if they haven't organised themselves.
Leading on the day
Your responsibility is to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves in a safe manner. This implies that you have a social role as well as being the guide. You also need to collect and distribute the petrol money. Lunchtime is a good time to do this. The petrol charge is calculated by doubling the petrol cost (even if the vehicle runs on gas) and dividing it by the number of people in the vehicle including the driver. This is often done separately for each car, but it is fairer to total the amount for all the vehicles and divide by the total number of people. (Some leaders find a small calculator most helpful!).
After the activity
Fill in a Trip Report and send it and the completed Risk Acknowledgement form to Box 857, Wodonga, 3689, or bring them to the next monthly meeting. Pay the visitors' money for the non-members listed on the report to the Treasurer. Return maps borrowed from the Maps Librarian, and the first aid kit, bivvy bag, GPS and EPIRB to Mountain Designs.
In particular, feel gratified for leading an activity, and recognise that you will have broadened your range of skills, your knowledge of our area, and the number of people with whom you have something in common. You will also have promoted yourself into the ranks of the leaders of the club, and will henceforth feel a new sense of confidence.
Without members who are willing to lead trips the club will wither and die.