History Makers
As part of our 50 Years of Innovation celebrations we’re highlighting some of the people who helped make Curtin the successful, global university it is today. We will be adding profiles throughout the year and hope you enjoy learning about our history makers.
(Content has been drawn from WAIT to Curtin: A History of the Western Australian Institute of Technology by Michael White and Look Ever Forward: A History of Curtin University 1987-2012 by Susan Hart.)
Associate Professor Frank Sheehy
Frank Sheehy was Academic Director and Chief Executive Officer when Curtin Malaysia was first established and played an important role in enabling the campus to become operational. Frank Sheehy’s undergraduate training was in secondary education. After graduate study in the United States he was involved in teacher education and the… Read More
Tom Silvan & the Curtin Student Guild
The WAIT Student Guild was established in November 1968 and the first Guild Council took office on February the following year with Tom Silvan, a pharmacy student, as President. In the years since the Guild has grown to become a key voice for students, advocating for their academic rights and… Read More
John Milton-Smith
John Milton-Smith helped shape the direction and success of the Curtin Business School as its Executive Dean and later played an important role in internationalising the University as the first Deputy Vice-Chancellor Curtin International. He was also a strong supporter of the John Curtin Gallery and was made… Read More
Ken Hall
Ken Hall led WAIT’s first offshore education venture in partnership with the Marketing Institute of Singapore, a forerunner of Curtin’s extensive international activities of today. A lecture theatre was named after him and the Ken Hall Medal is presented to the best graduating honours student in the Curtin… Read More
Emeritus Professor Warren Grubb
Warren Grubb joined WAIT in 1979 and was among the first to obtain National Health and Medical Research Council grants, which contributed to the Institute’s case for university status. His molecular genetic studies on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or golden staph led to the development of world-leading… Read More
Dr Joan Winch
Former Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies (CAS), 2008 John Curtin Medallist and Curtin alumna Joan Winch has been instrumental in delivering health worker training for Indigenous people and communities across WA. After leaving school at the age of 13, Joan Winch went on to have a long… Read More
David Walker
As the inaugural head of WAIT’s graphic design courses David Walker created the distinctive WAIT logo to reflect the Institute’s technological focus. A large, three-dimensional sculpture of the logo stands near Jack Finney Lake at the Kent Street entrance to the Bentley Campus. David Walker joined WAIT’s School of Art… Read More
Geoffrey Allen
As Foundation Principal Librarian at WAIT Geoffrey Allen pioneered the introduction of computers into the Robertson Library, which was revolutionary at the time. Geoffrey Allen was born in England in June 1927 and completed studies in geography at Oxford University in 1951. After moving to Sydney, he taught geography at… Read More
Emeritus Professor Lesley Parker AM
The first woman appointed to a significant senior executive role at Curtin, Lesley Parker was named Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 1997. She is known nationally and internationally for her work in progressing gender equality in education, especially in science and technology. Commencing her career as a secondary teacher of science… Read More
Emeritus Professor Jo Barker
The first occupational therapist in Australia to complete a PhD, Jo Barker fearlessly realised her vision to have occupational therapy recognised as a field of major importance in the health sector. Jo Barker discovered occupational therapy as a 17-year-old living in New Zealand, falling in love with the profession’s goal… Read More
Emeritus Professor Laurie Hegvold AM
Making history as WAIT’s first Professor, Laurie Hegvold is credited with delivering Curtin’s architecture course to Asia. Many of his graduates are now well known architects both nationally and internationally. Laurie Hegvold was the holder of the University Medal at UNSW, where he completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies in… Read More
Sir Laurence Brodie-Hall AO
Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) graduate Sir Laurence Brodie-Hall was a leading figure in WA’s mining industry and one of the strongest and most influential supporters of the mining school. Laurence Brodie-Hall migrated to Australia from London in 1924. He was a prospector in the Murchison and Eastern Goldfields… Read More
Emeritus Professor Margaret Nowak
Margaret Nowak established the first MBA program in the Curtin Business School in 1988 and led the Curtin Graduate School of Business (CGSB), the University’s first venture in the city, for many years. After gaining a PhD in Economics from Murdoch University, Margaret Nowak was Founding Director and Head of… Read More
Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Jolley
One of Australia’s defining authors, Elizabeth Jolley wrote 15 novels and four short story collections during her distinguished career. She was a cherished figure in the Creative Writing course at WAIT and Curtin for more than 20 years. Born in Birmingham, England in 1923 to an English father and Austrian… Read More
Emeritus Professor Odwyn Jones AO
Odwyn Jones was Principal of the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) at Kalgoorlie for 15 years and one of its most passionate advocates. He began his mining career in Wales and, when he joined WASM in 1976, brought extensive experience in mining education from his time spent teaching at… Read More
John de Laeter
An internationally renowned physicist, John de Laeter is one of the most outstanding academics in the history of the University. The visionary behind significant science initiatives, de Laeter strongly influenced the direction of physical sciences research in Western Australia. Educated at Perth Modern School, The University of Western Australia and… Read More
Harry Perkins AO
As Chancellor of Curtin University from 1996 to 2002, Harry Perkins was instrumental in gaining the support of the Curtin Council for the establishment of the campus in Malaysia. Harry Perkins’ 45-year career commenced at Bruce Rock in Western Australia as a farmer, and expanded to the boardroom of WA’s… Read More
Professor Lance Twomey AO
As Vice-Chancellor and President of Curtin University Professor Lance Twomey was instrumental in the establishment of the Curtin Malaysia campus in Sarawak. The building housing the Faculty of Business in Sarawak has been named after him. Lance Twomey started his career at WAIT teaching physiotherapy, having gained a Diploma of… Read More
Datuk Patinggi Dr George Chan
Datuk Patinggi Dr George Chan was a driving force behind the establishment of Curtin Malaysia, and was closely involved in the campus from its first days. He received an honorary Doctor of Technology award from Curtin University in 2002 in recognition of his efforts in establishing Curtin Malaysia and his… Read More
Emeritus Professor Mark Liveris OBE
Distinguished health sciences scholar and leader Mark Liveris was instrumental in WAIT receiving the biggest grant ever given by the USA’s Kellogg Foundation to an Australian university. The 1980 grant of $837,000 was used to establish a major health research centre and build WAIT’s postgraduate health programs. Born in 1931,… Read More
Emeritus Professor Jeanette Hacket AM
As Vice-Chancellor, Jeanette Hacket was strongly committed to extending Curtin’s international operations. Under her leadership the Curtin Singapore campus was established in 2008. Jeanette Hacket was the first female Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University, a legal practitioner with long-term experience at Curtin in both teaching and senior management roles. She is… Read More
Associate Professor Ron Hartley
Regarded as the ‘father of IT’ at WAIT, Ron Hartley was the inaugural head of the Department of Computer and Data Processing and was responsible for numerous innovative developments that saw the Institute become a leader in computing. Ron Hartley was one of the few qualified computer specialists in Western… Read More