Colin Badger (1906 - 1993) 

Personal Data

Birth: 4 December 1906

Death: 8 August 1993

Cause of Death: Heart disease 

Religious Influence: Baptist

Colin was born at Peterborough, South Australia. He was the eighth of eleven children in his family. Colin's Scottish-born paternal grandfather, David, was a pioneering Baptist minister in South Australia. The Badger children grew up on a diet of thrift and a strong work ethic. In 1929, through the church, he had met Adelaide Estella Slade, a nurse. They married on November 9th at Parkside. 

Education

Education Summary: 

North Adelaide Primary School

Mitcham Public Primary school

Unley High School 

University of Adelaide

Baptist College of South Australia 

London School of Economics

When Badger at the Unley High School, he was expelled for stealing science supplies to conduct experiments at home. The city's library and second-hand bookshops fed his growing interest in literature. In 1923, he secured a position as a laboratory assistant and later as a librarian at the University of Adelaide, where he used the opportunity to undertake classes as a non-graduating student. Three years later his commitment to the Baptist Church led to his call to the ministry and he enrolled in the Sate's Baptist College. In between pastoral obligations, he studied for a degree in history and philosophy at the university (BA, 1936; MA, 1938), winning the Tinline scholarship for history in 1931. He was taught by the historian Hancock, who advised him to continue study. Badger studied Italian before traveling to London in 1934 to commence a thesis on 19th century Italian politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. However, in London, Badger was unable to secure a sufficient employment, he returned to South Australia leaving the thesis uncompleted. 

Employment

University of Adelaide (administration) 

Workers' Educational Association 

University of Western Australia (adult education) 

University of Melbourne (adult education) 

Department of Information (Federal) 

Badger realized that a clerical life was not for him, he transferred his zeal to adult education, as a lecturer at the Workers' Educational Association (WEA) of South Australia. In 1936, Badger was appointed as readers' counsellor and later director of adult education at the University of Western Australia (UWA). At UWA, Badger conducted experiments in adult learning through reading and discussing books. His success led to an engagement as director of university extension at the University of Melbourne. 

Awards and Honors

Tinline Scholarship for history (University of Adelaide)  

In 1994, the Council of Adult Education (CAE) presented Colin Badger awards for leadership in adult education. 

In 1945, Badger was granted special admission to the degree of master of the arts at the University of Melbourne. 

Membership-Professional Organizations

Australian Services Education Council 

Meanjin Magazine 

Council for Adult Education 

Melbourne Theatre Company 

Publications

Below are some selected bibliography:

Badger, Adelaide Estella. Growing Up at the Summit: A Little Chronicle of Family Life. Melbourne: [A. E. Badger], 1989
Badger, Colin. Interview by Katherine Johnson, 7 January 1988. NSW WEA Oral History Project. Council of Adult Education
Badger, C. R. Occasional Papers on Adult Education and Other Matters. Melbourne: Council of Adult Education, 1991
Badger, Colin R. Who Was Badger? Aspects of the Life and Work of Colin Robert Badger, Director of Adult Education, Victoria, 1947-1971. Melbourne:      Council of Adult Education, 1984
Badger, Colin, and Frank Crean. Interview by Peter Rushbrook, 21 May 1993, South Yarra, Vic. Council of Adult Education
Council of Adult Education. A Remembrance of the Achievements and Life of Colin Robert Badger, 22 August 1993
Stephan, Deborah. A Great Many Volunteers of All Kinds: The Adult Education Association of Victoria, 1948–1989. Melbourne: Adult Education Association of Victoria, 1992

Professional Interest Areas

Badger's professional interest areas were reading, writing, and researching. After retiring in 1971, Badger continued to be an active writer and researcher. 

Major Contributions to Adult Education

During the war years, Badger transferred the WEA curriculum to include creative arts as well as traditional academic fare, making it 'a much more cultural outfit' (Badger, 1988). In 1956, at the end of the World War II, Badger played a major role in drafting the legislation that created the Council of Adult Education (CAE) for the state of Victoria. Badger founded the journal Adult Education in 1956. In 1960, Badger was one of Australia's two representatives at the UNESCO Second World Congress on Adult Education held in Montreal. 

Badger promoted education for city-based adults by employing such academic luminaries. For rural adult learners, Badger drew on his experience in Western Australia and reshaped the innovative 'Box Scheme', under which reading groups were sent sets of books with accompanying questions and notes to prompt discussion. 

Until Badger death in 1993, at age 86, he retained his passion for adult education and his wholehearted participation in public debate. 

Additional Resources

Articles

Strong, C. (1971). 'Who Was Badger? '

Photo Gallery

Video/Audio

Presentations

Books

References

Peter Rushbrook, 'Badger, Robert Colin (1906-1993)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Published online 2017.