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Education professor adopts new role in retirement

30 November 2005

Professor Dick Gunstone of the Education faculty has announced his retirement from Monash after three decades on staff. However, his connection with the university will remain as he has been awarded the title of Emeritus Professor.

Education Dean Professor Sue Willis thanked Emeritus Professor Dick Gunstone for his 30-year contribution to Monash.

Professor Gunstone's academic career began casually when he accepted a secondment to the Education faculty in 1971 as a lecturer in teacher training.

"I was on secondment from the Department of Education, so I worked as a high school teacher part-time and as a lecturer here the rest of the time," Professor Gunstone said.

In 1974, he joined the staff full-time. "I was actually assured at the time that it would be a three-year contract only," he said.

By the end of the contract in 1977, however, Professor Gunstone was already studying for his PhD and finding how much he enjoyed research.

"There was nowhere better in the world for education research than Monash, where I found an academic body of high quality that was also extraordinarily collegial," he said.

Professor Gunstone was warmly farewelled by colleagues and friends at the Monash University Club, Clayton campus, on Thursday 24 November.