Sadly in March 2019 Bushwalking  Leadership SA lost one of it’s pioneers, Peter Kellett. In honour of Peter, Scott Polley and Gordon Lehmann have written the following tribute.

PK as he was always known.

PK was the main driver for the establishment of Bushwalking Leadership SA (BLSA) in the 1970s and was passionate about the outdoors. He modelled BLSA on the British Mountain Leadership Training Board and the Victorian Bush and Mountain Leadership Training Board. He was also passionate about the safety of people experiencing the outdoors and this led him to establish leadership training for bushwalkers. BLSA was originally known as The Bush and Mountain Leadership Training Board of South Australia and had that name up until the mid 1990s.

PK was the Executive Officer for the Board until the mid 90s and ran the early induction training at Woolshed Flat before moving to Wirabarra. He ran and organised the training until the early 90s when other BLSA trainers started contributing and eventually evolved into a collaborative training model with many volunteers helping.

PK was always involved in the training and many of us have fond memories of him wearing his Austrian walking pants while wandering around the forests of Wirabarra. He had high standards for leadership but was a gentle and inspiring teacher, mentoring many leaders through their training.

He was instrumental in developing leadership standards and training across Australia and was well known and liked all over the country. PK started South Australia’s first eco-tourism outdoor company, Ecotrek, after which many other outdoor tourism ventures followed. He was a Board member until 2012 when he retired from the Board to enjoy his passions.

He was a pioneer in the outdoor world in South Australia and will be sorely missed but forever remembered.

Scott Polley and Gordon Lehmann