Greg Klease, Bob Newby and Dave Druskovich gathered this week to discuss retirement plans while reflecting on their combined ‘100 years plus' of science teaching at CQUniversity.

The occasion was a farewell for Dr Greg Klease, who is heading off to develop a cattle property in the Beaudesert area as a retirement project after 35 years' service. Dr Newby and Dr Druskovich are both retiring in 2013 after 32 years' and 36 years' service respectively.

L-R Dave Druskovich, Greg Klease and Bob Newby at the farewell function for Greg

Since arriving at the then Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education, when there were only a handful of buildings on a single campus, the three lecturers have worked under six different institutional names and too many department, school and faculty groupings to remember as the University has grown a network around Australia.

They were among pioneers of initiatives for distance students, preparing ‘tutored video instruction' packages for screening at TAFE colleges in Mackay and Bundaberg, travelling throughout most of Queensland to deliver face-to-face tutorials, delivering live video lectures and, in the case of Greg and Dave, even assembling home chemistry kits.

Professor Graham Pegg (third from right) addresses a farewell function for Dr Klease

Dr Klease was part of a national ARC grant project, using video delivery to ensure advanced chemistry courses were available throughout a network of universities. All three contributed materials to state and national ‘open learning' networks.

Much of the science taught early on was geared to industrial applications. More recently, there's been a focus on medical science and environmental biology.

The trio discussed all the travel they have done on behalf of the University. Dr Klease had an especially large load as the Institute's Schools Liaison Officer in the 1980s, when he routinely visited 100 schools in three months (recognised by a slightly lessened teaching load).

"I knew all of the 130 or so lecturers back then," he said. "I was pretty good at representing the science and engineering courses and I'd try to take along someone from education, arts or business as well. We picked up some good students by being at schools in person."

The three lecturers reflected that, as students have embraced flexible learning, there's been a noticeable decline in social life on campus. No longer is the Birdcage Bar the focus of residential school memories "and many a wild evening".

Dr Klease accepts a retirement gift appropriate for his cattle farming project

By retiring to a cattle farm, Dr Klease is completing a circle that started when he was a young PhD graduate. The company he established - Symbio Products - produced chemical products for the food and health sectors, including cattle-gland oxytocin (used by pregnant women to bring on labour) sourced from an abattoir.

As well as his service to CQUniversity, Greg spent two decades (including 10 years as chair) working alongside teachers and education bureaucrats on the Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies (now Queensland Studies Authority) for all science syllabuses for Year 11 and 12 schools.

Dr Klease also served for many years on the state committee of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and chaired the National Chemical Education Division.

At his farewell, it was also noted that he had a great reputation for working with industry on curriculum to ensure students became job-ready.

Now the cattle property beckons and Greg's main concern is whether it will rain soon to ensure there's enough fodder.

L-R Philip Field, Dr Greg Klease and Fons Nouwens at the farewell morning tea for Greg