Arch Nelson played a major role in placing adult education on the government and public agenda and he was inaugural Chairman of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL).

Each year, in recognition of the outstanding contribution by Arch Nelson, a leading figure in the field of adult education is invited to give an address in Arch's name.

We are pleased to announce that the Arch Nelson Address for 2004 will be given by Daryl Evans at the ACAL Dinner on Friday evening, September 10 in the Australia Gallery at the Melbourne Museum. Daryl will be well-known to many people through his long involvement with adult literacy and his innovative and inspiring approaches.

2004 Arch Nelson Address
'Literacies in changing climates: active and passive'
In this year’s Arch Nelson Address, you will test your knowledge of adult literacy teaching and history in a Trivial Pursuit exercise of twelve questions. However, the notion of trivia sits uneasy with political and professional credibility. So, what are some of those serious matters for which practitioners are responsible?
Daryl Evans has recently retired after thirty years in adult literacy work as teacher, manager, project worker, professional development officer and researcher. He has worked as volunteer and paid employee, in community education and in the TAFE system. During the past few years, he was employed in the TAFE Division of Victoria University, Melbourne. Currently, he spends part of his retirement time pursuing graduate study into connections between museums and adult literacy.

Arch Nelson AM
Adult Educator 1911-1998

Arch Nelson, a pioneer of adult literacy in Australia, is remembered with affection as a modest man who combined in his work, vision with tenacity and gentleness. He was also a teller of stories, as those who were present at the History of Adult Literacy Weekend in Armidale, 1994 or the ACAL Conference in Sydney, 1997, will attest.

Archibald John Alexander Nelson was born at Scott Creek in the Adelaide Hills. In reminiscing about his childhood in the Adelaide Hills where "in those days I should say about fifty percent of the population of adults were semi-literate", he remembered that there was only one telephone which was in his home, so "when radio came in after World War 1 and they put a radio in the hall next door to our school...and the whole school gathered around at twelve o'clock to hear the GPO chimes in Adelaide on the radio...here we had something that was magical coming over the air without the benefit of lines". He also recalled how he was "spurred on by the number of people who approached him personally for assistance (with literacy)".

After graduating with honours in political science and history from the University of Adelaide in 1938, the Second World War ended formal post-graduate study. So first, Arch Nelson became a primary school teacher who then joined the Army Education Service during the second World War where, he recalls that in some units "at least half of them...were quite illiterate or sub-literate". Arch Nelson had always been interested in adult education and became a part-time tutor with the Workers' Educational Asssociation at Port Adelaide and with the Department of Tutorial Classes at the University of Adelaide as part of the university extension scheme. After the war he worked for the Commonwealth Office of Education and witnessed the formation of UNESCO in London and the Colombo Plan in South East Asia. But in 1955 he returned to Australia to direct adult education at the University of New England, Armidale, because he "wanted to work with people not organisations".

In 1972 Arch Nelson became professorial fellow in Adult Education at UNE, until his retirement in 1976 "the only academic proper working in adult education in Australia at the time". He was well known both nationally and internationally for his work in adult education, rural programs and "lively summer schools in the arts".

In 1976, AAACE established a working party on adult literacy which recommended the formation of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy and Arch Nelson was invited to become inaugural Chairman. As Alastair Crombie later recalled "ACAL was an orphan child of a rejecting parent". But, under Arch Nelson's leadership that orphan child was successful in "spreading the message", "inviting all political parties to state their policies on literacy" and "getting people in universities interested" - a special reference to the important role that UNE and Darryl Dymock has played in adult literacy.

...I have not been concerned merely to show that a sensible, sensitive, and determined minority which is concerned for the common good can make an impact on government. I am more concerned to emphasise that governmental initiatives for literacy must be matched by community initiative and participation, that, in the absence of such initiative and participation, all that has been achieved as a result of representation to government would be of no avail and that it should be possible for determined and creative minorities to work at least as effectively with their communities as has ACAL with government

In 1984, Arch Nelson, who had presided over the formation of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy, retired as Chairman of ACAL. Archibald John Alexander Nelson was honoured by UNESCO at an International Literacy Day Ceremony

...for having served with devotion for more than thirty years the cause of international literacy as Director of a University Department of Adult Education, founder and first President of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy, Co-editor of the Journal of Asian and South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education, and having argued with determination and effectiveness for national and international initiatives designed to stimulate and support literacy activities.

The then Patron of ACAL, the Honourable K. Beazley (Senior) responded by stating that,

"It is the force of Arch Nelson's concern for people, his heart power, which has been the alchemy which has transmuted the lead of official and private complacency in this country, such as the myth that 'we are 98% literate', into the gold of effective action. His have been the labours of Sisyphus, but if there has been an adequate appropriation in the Federal Budget for Adult Literacy then Arch Nelson has not been condemned to see the stone roll back down the hill."

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