Schinckel.net

I was saddened to hear last night of the passing of an influentual man in my life. As a beginning teacher, I was posted to a “hard to staff” school, but had a fantastic coordinator and faculty that supported me. We did quite a lot of exciting stuff back then, including working with a retired engineer called Don Atkinson. Don’s specialty was electric motors, and he spent every Friday for most of my five years at that school coming in and designing and building them with a small group of students, and myself and my coordinator. Don passed away on Monday morning. Don led an amazing life. From going to Jazz Clubs as an underager during the war, to being one of the founding members of Flinders University’s engineering department, and finally working with children in a largely voluntary capacity, he will be missed by many people from many walks of life. I’ll miss you, mate.