[AMC Trade Mark]

People

The Australian Mathematics Competition is administered by the Australian Mathematics Foundation (AMF) Department.

This Department dates back to 11 April 1976, when a committee to run a mathematics competition in Canberra was formed at a meeting at the home of Peter O'Halloran. In 1978 the committee became the management committee of the Australian Mathematics Competition and was later incorporated as Australian Mathematics Foundation Limited. In 1992 it combined with the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee to become a sub-Trust of the new Australian Mathematics Trust. Under a later re-structure the sub-Trusts of the Trust became Departments.

The AMF Committee historically comprised staff of the University of Canberra, but through its network of national and state directors, members of the problems committee and moderators it draws on a wide national and in fact international volunteer force.

The main activity of the AMF is the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Members of the AMF Committee are:

* denotes member of Executive

[AMF 2011]

AMF Committee, when they met in Alice Springs in July 2011, from left Shelley Worthington (Northern Territory), Phil Gray (Primary problems committee), Graham Meiklejohn (Queensland), Bob Thompson (Treasurer), Bruce Henry (Victoria), Warren Atkins (Chairman), Howard Reeves Tasmania), Bill Akhurst (New South Wales), Anna Nakos (South Australia), Sally Bakker (Deputy Chair), Peter Taylor (Executive Director). Absent Russell Coad (Western Australia), Gus Gale (New Zealand), Holly Gyton (Secondary problems committee).

The Problems Committee: Secondary Versions

The AMC has always had an independent Problems Committee since the inception of this event in 1978. This committee normally comprises 15 academics and high school teachers. Most of the members are permanent but there is some rotation, with a New Zealand permanent member and another member invited from overseas each year and a state moderator in rotation.

To ensure the integrity of the AMC, both mathematically and typographically, there has always been a three-tiered moderation system. The first tier is the group of state moderators which is also able to advise on the suitability of questions for their state. The second group traditionally comprises mathematicians from various Universities, mostly based in Canberra, while the third group is traditionally from the University of Canberra, although the members of later moderator groups are increasingly from outside Canberra.

Each year the Problems Committee sets the paper for the following year. So there is a lead time of 18 months before the date of the competition when the procedures for setting that paper commence. In fact there is also a period of several months when drafts of papers for two forthcoming AMCs exist.

The permanent members of the Committee are:

  • Chair: Mr Warren Atkins
  • Deputy Chair: Professor Peter Taylor
  • Mrs Jane Breidahl, Nautilus Educational, VIC
  • Dr Bob Bryce, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT
  • Mr John Carty, Department of Education, ACT
  • Mr Mike Clapper, Gippsland Grammar School, NSW
  • Ms Holly Gyton, SCEGGS Darlighurst, NSW
  • Ms Anne Hastings, Emanuel College, NSW
  • Professor Derek Holton, Melbourne, VIC
  • Dr Andrew Kepert, University of Newcastle Central Coast Campus, NSW
  • Mr Alan Parris, Linwood College, Christchurch, NZ
  • Dr Andrei Storozhev, Canberra, ACT
  • Dr Martin Ward, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT

The Problems Committee

The committee in May 2005 from left Andrei Storozhev (AMT), Warren Atkins (Newcastle), Brendan Case (Cabra College, South Australian Moderator), Mike Clapper (Gippsland Grammar), Chris Harman (USQ), Martin Ward (ANU), Bob Bryce (ANU), Jane Breidahl (Nautilus Education), Alan Parris (Christchurch NZ), Anne Hastings (Kambala), Patrick Curtis (Kambala, NSW Moderator), Barry Ferguson (University of Waterloo, Canada), Holly Gyton (SCEGGS Redlands).

Problems Committee: Primary Versions

This Committee commenced work in 2003 and the 2004 papers were the first for Years 3 and 4 (Middle Primary) and Years 5 and 6, and 7 for States in which Year 7 is Primary (Upper Primary).

As with the secondary version this paper is moderated by tens of moderators in three stages, with expert primary teachers from each state solving the problems independently and advising on syllabus and mathematical issues.

  • Chair: Mr Warren Atkins
  • Mr Lei Bao, Alvie Consolidated School, Alvie, VIC
  • Ms Jan Cavanagh, Consultant, QLD
  • Mr Mike Clapper, Gippsland Grammar School, VIC
  • Mr Brett Darcy, Rose Park Public School, SA
  • Ms Karen Dielh, South Wallsend Primary School, NSW
  • Mr Phil Gray, Weetangera Primary School, ACT
  • Mr Jim Green, Trinity Catholic College, Lismore, NSW
  • Ms Jillian Neale, Lake Gwerup Primary Schol, WA
  • Professor Jacqui Ramagge, University of Wollongong, NSW
  • Mr Gregory Taylor, Department of Education, ACT
  • Professor Peter Taylor
  • Mr Anthony Telford, St Francis Xavier School, ACT
State and National Directors

The AMC is also administered by a team of state and national directors who deal with issues specific to their regions.

Click here for a full list of current Australian and National Directors, with contact details.

[AMF and directors 2011]

State and National Directors with senior staff when they met in Alice Springs in July 2011, from left Ridwan Saputra (Indonesia), Saiful Azmi Hj Awg Husain (Brunei Darussalam), Simon Chua (Philippines), Chi-keung Wan (Hong Kong), Nathalie Mignot (New Caledonia), Howard Reeves (Tasmania), Tomo Hereniko (Fiji), Jasmine Tey Ah Hong (Singapore), Peter Taylor (Executive Director), Lim Chong Keang (Malaysia), Bob Thompson (Treasurer), Jan Collins (Manager), Graham Meiklejohn (Queensland), Warren Atkins (Chairman), Phil Gray (Primary Problems Committee), Anna Nakos (South Australia), Bruce Henry (Victoria), Sally Bakker (Deputy Chair), Elizabeth Courtney-Frost (Executive Officer), Bill Akhurst (New South Wales), Shelley Worthington (Northern Territory), Lakoa Fitina (Papua New Guinea), Gus Gale (New Zealand), Richard Bollard (AMT).
 

 
 
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