The essential roles of a ranger in a public park haven’t changed much in decades: protecting the natural environment and managing public visitors. But the world of rangering in 2023 seems quite different than in 1984 when this “Ten Mottos for a Successful Park Ranger” was delivered to parks outdoors staff in the Metropolitan Parks of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. The use of the masculine “his” to cover park visitors in general now seems quaint. The overall tone now seems rather patronising, given that many parks staff were (and in most public authorities are) old hands with extensive outdoor experience. However, the list should be understood in the context of the objectives of the period, which were to improve the self-reliance of outdoor staff and their confidence in their roles; and to decentralise decision-making in the interests of minimising administrative overheads.
A Ranger’s perspective: XXXX, an early-career Park Assistant and recipient of this homily in 1984, now an XXXX in Parks Victoria, writes: (to be completed)…..
See also Metropolitan Park Policies, MMBW, 1975