Vale Jeff Dobell
23 July 2010
"He just wanted to do, rather than talk about it."
Jeff Dobell - "He just wanted to do rather than talk about it."
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Jeff Dobell, founder of the Indigenous Australian Engineering Aid
Summer School program, died in the early hours of this morning in
Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital.
While working with a neighbour on home renovations last Saturday,
Jeff plunged from the roof of a car port, suffered massive brain
damage and never regained consciousness.
His partner, Anne Vans-Colina and adult children, are gathered at
their home in St Ives.
I know of no more decent, humble and determined man. Jeff showed
warmth and respect for every young Aboriginal man or woman and
recognized the potential and talent that only awaited opportunity.
Since establishing the engineering summer school program in 1999,
this retired engineering helped guide hundreds of Indigenous high
school students in years eleven and twelve through an introduction to
tertiary studies at the University of NSW, Newcastle University and
this year at Curtin University. Several dozen of these students
already have gone on to complete engineering degrees becoming
Australia's first cohort of Indigenous engineers and many more have
begun tertiary studies.
Jeff Dobell invited the former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke to be patron
of the Engineering Aid Summer School program and gathered support for
the not for profit education effort from NSW Governor Marie Bashir
and Australia's Former Governor General Mike Jeffreys.
Many of the earliest engineering graduates from this summer school
program, including Ben Lange of NSW and Leon Oriti of Western
Australia, have been deeply distressed by the loss of such a fine
Australian. Jeff had such a generous spirit and so much heart.
We all believe that the best way to honour and remember Jeff Dobell
is to ensure that the summer school continues to open doors
for Indigenous students at leading universities around the nation.
Dr Jeff McMullen AM
Director Engineering Aid Australia,
CEO Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth
Director AIME - Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience
27/7/2010
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