By MATT NICHOLLS
A LIFETIME of dedication to education has been recognised after Ross Thomas was announced as a Member of the Order of Australia on Sunday.
The former professor at the University of New England was regarded as one of the pioneers of educational administration.
His career spanned several decades and he is now enjoying retirement with his wife Jenny, five children and 10 grandchildren.
“I was quite shocked when they notified me in September to tell me that I had been recommended,” Professor Thomas said.
“Then in December they asked me if I would accept the AM. I spent some time thinking about it before I said ‘yes’.”
Ross Thomas spent most of his early childhood surrounded by men and women in khaki uniform.
Born in the small Western Australia town of Wagin in 1936, his father Cecil was a member of the 7th Division of the Australian Army.
During World War II, he served in the Middle East, followed by later stints in New Guinea and Bornea.
As an eight-year-old, he and his mother Olive moved to Brisbane to join Cecil in Queensland.
“By the time I was 14, my father had been away for half of my life,” he said.
In Brisbane, he received a good education at Brisbane Grammar before deciding to go to Teachers’ College.
His first job after graduationg was with the Queensland School for the Deaf.
“I just landed in the position, but I ended up spending 10 years there and developed a lifelong interest in children with a disability,” he said.
In the 1960s, a new discipline in education was emerging and Prof Thomas moved to Armidale with his wife to work at the University of New England.
Under the tutelage of the late William Walker AM, Professor Thomas became one of the nation’s leaders in educational administration.
His position has taken him all over the world, with teaching stints in Canada and England.
However, his love for Armidale has remained and Prof Thomas said he wasn’t going anywhere.
“I think I live in the best city in the world,” he said.
