AGY-1144 | National Fitness and Recreation Service of New South Wales (1970-1972) Sport and Recreation Service of New South Wales (1972-1975)

Full description

The National Fitness and Recreation Service of New South Wales was established in January 1970 when the two functions of physical education and national fitness were separated from the former National Fitness and Physical Education Branch of the Department of Education.(1)

The National Fitness and Recreation Service within the Department of Education was formed to manage the state’s fitness and recreational responsibilities, which largely occurred outside the school environment. The Department of Education also established a Physical Education Branch to manage physical education programs within schools. The divergence of these functions had been underway by the late 1960s, and in 1969 the position of Director of Physical Education and National Fitness had been replaced by the new positions of Director of Sport and Recreation and Chief Inspector of Physical Education.(2)

By 1972, it had been decided to transfer responsibility for National Fitness and Recreation services from the Education Department to the Sport portfolio, which was then held by the Chief Secretary. In May 1972, a steering committee on the Ministry of Sport was formed to ensure the smooth transfer of the National Fitness and Recreation Service to the Sport’s Ministry. On 2 June 1972, all functions of the National Fitness and Recreation Service of New South Wales were transferred to the Ministry of Sport. The physical process of transferring the administrative functions of the Service from the Department of Education to the Chief Secretary’s Department commenced on 1 July 1972 and continued until the end of the year. On 1 January 1973, the Chief Secretary’s Department took over full control of the Service and the title was changed to the Sport and Recreation Service of New South Wales.(3)

After the establishment of the National Fitness Council in 1971, there were a number of principles observed in the development of community physical education and they were:

1) use of teachers, particularly specialists in Physical Education, was encouraged in the organisation of vacation play centres, and swimming schools to avoid duplication;
2) local organisation was based upon the local authority and activities were suited to the local environment;
3) the direction and administration of the approved policy was the responsibility of the Director of Physical Education upon the advice of the National Fitness Council;
4) the development of facilities and the acquisition of equipment was a local responsibility.(4)

A Review of the Machinery of Government in 1974 led to the abolition of the two Ministerial portfolios of Cultural Activities and Sport. They were replaced with the Ministerial portfolio of Culture, Sport and Recreation on 3 January 1975. On 6 January 1975, the Sport and Recreation Service of New South Wales was transferred to become a unit of the newly created Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation.(5)


ENDNOTES
1. Paper on the Origins of the Department of Sport and Recreation by K McGuiness, Research Officer, Department of Sport and Recreation, State Records Disposal File 88/220D.
2. loc. cit.
3. loc.cit.
4. Young, Gordon (Director of Physical Education), The Administration of Physical Education in New South Wales, Lectures to the Students of the Diploma Course in Physical Education, Sydney Teachers’ College, p8 in papers relating to the History of the Department of Sport and Recreation, State Records Accession 4154.
5. Paper on the Origins of the Department of Sport and Recreation by K McGuiness, Research Officer, Department of Sport and Recreation, State Records Disposal File 88/220D.