Bruce Wicking Award

Learning Difficulties Australia makes an occasional award known as the Bruce Wicking Award. An Award Committee of three council members considers all nominations and makes recommendations to council, who makes the final decision as to the award’s recipient.
The Bruce Wicking Award Award recognises a practising teacher or other professional who has made a continuing contribution of an innovative nature in the education of Australian children with learning difficulties. It is preferred that the award be granted to 'someone' during their career rather than at the end of their working life.

The funds for this award are being provided through the generosity of the Wicking Family and their friends who wish to recognise the contribution made by Bruce Wicking to education, particularly in innovative education with an emphasis towards catering for individual differences. It is the family's wish that the award be supervised by LDA, with which they have had a long association.

Previous Recipients

2006 John Fleming

2005 No award was presented

2004 Betty Smith

2003 Colleen Hope

2002 Christine Benke

1999 Nerys Lewis

1998 Bronwyn Rayner

In 1978 Bronwyn established the Taggerty Pioneer Education Centre, a non-profit organisation providing hands-on outdoor education for people from all walks of life, particularly disadvantaged youth and youth at risk.

1993 Patricia McCulloch

Founding Principal of Andale School, Charles St., Kew, Victoria Australia.

Bruce Wicking's philosophy was to develop a child as an individual, to develop strengths and overcome weaknesses, to encourage and achieve independence in a socially acceptable manner while remaining motivated, courageous and self-confident enough to achieve their personal ambitions.

He recognised that many children with special needs are not catered for in mainstream schools. He questioned the idea of what was 'normal' and aimed to help the child adjust to daily life whilst maintaining individuality. He believed that every child has different abilities, interests and works at different speeds.

His conviction that these children's needs could be met led him to establish the Currajong School in 1974. As a recipient of the Mona Tobias Award in 1986 his outstanding contributions to education were publicly recognised.