Passion for life, love and family
Academic left community a richer place
DR BARRY Anthony Fields may well have been the proudest father in Queensland last year when not one, but his two sons graduated with doctorates.
His paternal pride was reinforced by his passion for education.
He became highly regarded as an educator after joining the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (now University of Southern Queensland) nearly 40 years ago until retirement in 2015.
He held roles including head of program (secondary studies) and program coordinator (pre-service and secondary education).
“Barry’s passionate commitment to excellence in teaching helped to equip the next generations of educators with the attributes, skills and values essential to the profession,” USQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Geraldine Mackenzie wrote in a tribute.
During a celebration of Barry’s life at the T.S.
Burstow Chapel, former colleague Professor Patrick Danaher said Dr Fields left his community a better place.
“USQ is undoubtedly the richer for having benefited from Barry’s taking on a large number of teaching, researching and leadership roles during his time with us, and for enacting those roles with courage and steadfastness,” he said.
Dr Fields spent his childhood in the Sydney suburb of Five Dock.
He went to secondary school at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, graduating in 1963 before going on to Sydney Teachers College and Macquarie University, initially becoming a teacher of the deaf and holding a variety of secondary teaching positions in country NSW.
He completed two Masters degrees and a PhD in Oregon, USA, before taking up the position in Toowoomba in 1978.
His brother, Paul, a retired secondary science teacher, recalled a childhood that included “endless games of cricket in our tiny back yard often using an iron pipe for a bat and reject cricket balls from the local clubs and of course a battered metal garbage bin for a wicket.”
Though Barry went on to a distinguished academic career, he had been more interested in sport than school work.
He was a typical late bloomer.
Recent doctoral graduates Mark (PhD) and younger brother Tim (physiotherapy) remembered their father’s dedication, his funny side and dad jokes, his mentoring and patience, passion for food, love of the outdoors and sport.