With (and without) Respect to Fin Cook

From: "malcolm and elaine cato"
Subject: Fin Cook

"In defence of Fin I would like to say that, although yes he had an ocker French pronunciation and yes he took shortcuts like not teaching us the 2nd person familiar "tu" forms of verbs, he nonetheless connected with us adolescents and gave me an abiding interest in the French language. This has lasted to this day and has resulted in me having travelled to France for a language school and having French friends in Nantes. He spiced up sentences for translation by throwing in words like "petticoat" and told us to say anything, "wheelbarrow" even, if we couldn't translate a French word. An unforgettable teacher."

Malcolm Cato

Paul Feldman responds:

"An ex-teacher I worked with once said 'To be happy at teaching, you have to enjoy wielding authority over young people'. Fin certainly appeared to meet that criterion. But because I wasn't much good at sport, and was never in his French class, he came across to me as a self-indulgent disciplinarian who cultivated and favoured the sporting elite. It is interesting and challenging to hear people speaking up for him as a teacher. I can remember shuddering on hearing him say to a group of parents, 'I can get your boy a good, solid, 60 to 70 percent'. I can remember also, his painful embarrassment at being confronted by a native French speaker brought to the school by Joan Whittaker.

But perhaps within his chosen domain, Fin was able to be creative at imparting a set of knowledge, and able to encourage confidence in learning - amongst some kids anyway. His authority, and the pliability of his class, gave him the confidence to enjoy what he was teaching and find it interesting. For him, teaching remained much as it was for those primary school teachers - mostly males - who created a whole world around their classrooms and their arcane enthusiasms. This whole experience led Fin to become a spokesman, on parent/teacher nights, for the teaching of non-practical subjects, and proclaim himself "a man of culcha rather than science". To them, as teacher and sportsmaster, he was the genial salesman for a set of experiences. To us, depending on who we were, he was clearly something else.

Unforgettable certainly, and it's impossible to think of him as a ghost. But what would someone like him be doing these days? Still teaching? And if so, where?"

________________

22/1/2009 - fin

Posted by Anonymous

fin was an abomination and an insult to anyone who had the misfortune to be in his class. remember when he castigated a student in the quad for not having his sleeves rolled up to the correct (in his mind) level. and remember, he was a teacher at a selective high school. god alone knows what those poor bastards down the road had to put up with. i'm sure it took many of us years to get over his bombastic and thoroughly distasteful antics. unless of course you were peter carpenter. he probably thought paris was in texas. ironic about his name though. 13/8/2008 - Neil Treverrow adds... Posted by Anonymous “I was taught by Fin Cook and to this day I would be confidant in asking any Parisian the location of the pen of my Aunt. Merky bowcoop Fin.” Neil Treverrow (class of 68) 14/8/2008 - re Fin Cook Posted by Anonymous To add to my previous overly cryptic comment, obviously Fin Cook succeeded in inspiring some with an interest in the French language, but I wonder how much further this would have bloomed under a more competent teacher. For my part the Ardath afflicted ocker accented tones of Fin, and his approach to teaching said “this is a subject to be cranked out and bugger the prospects of being able to converse with a native French speaker”. A constant statement of contempt for pronunciation. I recall attending some after- hours French tutorials run by “Madam Bottler”, a native of France, which underlined the gulf between French and the Finnian dialect. So much so that there was almost a need for an interpreter to bridge the gap. I cannot imagine Fin as a modern teacher but I can picture Fin’s character as a loveable buffoon in a “old school days “parody, bumbling through his classes (punctuated by bursts of canned laughter every time he annunciates a stilted phrase), tolerated by the headmaster for his endeavours with the rugger team, hidden away by nervous French Master during staff assessments, creating bewilderment and consternation on holiday in France attempting to speak the lingo. I guess an effective teacher is many things to many people. My recollections were of a number of competent teachers who greatly benefited from reflected glory of some amazing students, a few really fine teachers who were able to take a whole class along with them, and a number who were incompetents (unconscious incompetents hopefully, rather than total scoundrels). All in all nothing to refute Mark Ierace’s recollected comment “we were bright but in a dull school” . Neil Treverrow

Les Lads Battishall

From Ian Battishall. on 16 July 2008:

____________________________________

Hi, just thought I’d let you know that Alan Battishall is living at 15 Coaldrakes Lane, Hannam Vale NSW 2443. Ph 6556 5304

I note that Tom Jones is organizing the next reunion and remember that Tom, Paul Brown and Alan were mates so I’m sure he’d be happy to hear from you guys.

I am Alan’s brother Ian from 2 years later.

I’ve enjoyed reading all the stuff that’s been put together and it has brought back memories as many of the same teachers were still around for many years after you guys left.
My younger brother Ronald (Ron) tells a story about how he visited the school many many  years after he had left, walked down the corridor of the science block and was spotted by Bob Booth who pointed and yelled “BATTISHALL”…..I guess Ron was memorable.

Regards
Ian
ianbatt@dodo.com.au

Col Franks in Retirement (Class of 1968)

Hi Stephen ,

I was a student of STHS 1963-1967, but left in 5th year to pursue apprenticeship , would like to be included on your contact list please .

Colin Franks , PO Box 263 Maryborough Qld 4650.

You can e-mail Col here: colgf2[AT]optusnet.com.au

Eugen Molodysky - OAM

From Bob Lees:

Hi Stephen,

For your info:

In the paper 26 January 2008

MEDAL (OAM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION
Associate Professor Eugen Molodysky, Elizabeth Bay.
Service to medical education and research into cervical cancer prevention

Cheers

Bob Lees

From http://ichal05.longevity-international.com/cms/details.asp?NewsID=152

Primary Prevention Physician,
University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

"Dr Eugen Molodysky is recognized nationally as a leader in primary health care. His contribution extends across clinical practice, research and teaching.

Dr Molodysky has always been a teacher.

He is a clinical academic with the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Sydney where he has taught since the 1980’s. Since the 1990’s when the Graduate Medical Program was introduced at the University of Sydney he has taught undergraduate medical students at the Central Clinical School.

He is a former Chair of the Medical Education Committee, NSW Faculty, RACGP.

Dr Molodysky conceived and in association with the RACGP produced the ‘Medicine Today’ Continuing Medical Education Video Series.

He is the inaugural Chair of the Sydney Institute of General Practice Education & Training, an organization responsible for general practice vocational training.

Recently he has conceived and produced the Clinical Teacher Training Program for clinical teachers.

He is the current Chair of the Eastern Sydney Division of General Practice an organization providing professional support for his colleagues through the provision of CPD activities and the recently introduced and innovative Onsight Practice Support Program.

In the field of research Dr Molodysky has been an ardent supporter of the application of HPV testing as a screening test in clinical practice.

For more than 20 years he has been involved in the application of primary prevention in clinical practice. More recently, in the mid 1990’s, he produced the Ten Points Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents well ahead of the national and state initiatives of this current decade.

Dr Molodysky is currently introducing a primary prevention diagnostic profile for clinicians, which is supported by a primary prevention management script."