ON CAMPUS
campusreview.com.au
Age no barrier
Dr David Bottomley. Photo: David Caird, News Corp Australia
Meet Australia’s oldest
PhD graduate.
By Loren Smith
D
r David Bottomley may be 94 years
old, but he barely sounds it. Having
recently completed his thesis, the
nonagenarian now holds the title of oldest
PhD graduate in Australian history.
When he speaks, it’s evident he is learned.
He is eloquent and friendly, with bouts of
hearty laughter interspersed throughout our
conversation.
His trajectory gives life to the theory that
to stay sharp, a person must continually
learn. Bottomley, who initially taught science
at a country boarding school in 1944,
completed his master’s degree in 2008,
aged 84, at the University of Melbourne,
before embarking on his doctorate at Curtin
University in 2012. He completed the latter,
Science, Education and Social Vision of Five
Nineteenth Century Headmasters, with a
resounding pass.
His former supervisor, John Curtin
Distinguished Professor David Treagust, says
Bottomley was a “very dedicated student”
who “progressed at an amazing rate”, even
mastering the technology that he thought
challenging.
Despite having a knee operation,
Bottomley didn’t take a single leave of
absence throughout the seven-year course
of his PhD. He even travelled to London to
visit a museum’s archives to collect materials
for his work, and presented at a conference
in Canada just before Christmas last year.
“He proudly told me that he was insured
by a Japanese company, because they’re
used to insuring old people,” Treagust says.
“It was a pleasure to be working with him,
with his constant diligence, self-criticism
and willingness to do more than what was
necessary. He is a remarkable individual.”
This self-criticism was evident when
Campus Review spoke to him. “I don’t know
if my dithering will be helpful,” he said. He
then proceeded to explain how he explored
19th century approaches to science
education in order to apply them to the
contemporary context.
Despite going above and beyond in his
thesis – Treagust repeatedly suggested
he finish it, but Bottomley (validly)
protested – he called it just “a start”. Indeed,
it was. He is not content for his PhD to linger
on a shelf: he said he is enjoying all the
media attention he’s receiving because it’s
helping him define the scope of his future
work. “I have ideas,” he said. He has already
contacted his business acquaintances (he
was a market researcher for much for his
72‑year career), as well as his local council
and the aged care minster, to share them.
“I’m developing my personal program
for the next five years,” he said. “It’s awfully
challenging ... I need to talk to the teachers
of today to find out whether there is a
synthesis between old and current ideas.
Are there areas other than worrying about
international test scores? I don’t know how
it will work. I’m just trying to inform myself
at the moment.”
When asked whether others find him
inspiring, he matter-of-factly replied: “Far
from it – other people have much more
to be proud of.”
Yet, like the educators he researched,
progressiveness is something he now
stands for. Paralleling Nobel Prize winner
Donna Strickland in relation to her gender,
when quizzed about his age, he minimised
what others might perceive as a hindrance.
“My age was not a factor among my cohort,”
he said, describing his master’s study group,
for example, as “very close and friendly”.
Treagust substantiated this. “He’s got
a great sense of humour, he’s as sharp
as a tack, and he doesn’t seem to forget
anything,” he said. “My father died at
that age, and he certainly couldn’t have
handled it.” ■
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