The Australian Library Journal

Margaret Trask

Gerard Brennan

Margaret Trask was a great benefactor to her profession, her University and her friends. Librarianship and information studies were advanced by her insights and her innovative teaching. She captured the minds of a generation of students and converted staff colleagues into enthusiastic disciples. Intellectual disciplines are best practiced by those whose thinking is orderly and precise, who do not equivocate and who manifest an informed enthusiasm for their subject. Margaret had all these qualities but she also had a capacity for friendship which made her leadership a joy to her fellows.

Her friends were numerous and varied. She did not stand on ceremony or align herself with position or power. Her warmth and openness attracted all who had dealings with her. In the university milieu, her friendships extended from the vice-chancellor to the undergraduates just starting on their courses, from the most senior professors to the most junior of the support staff. I met her first at the end of 1998 and was privileged to enjoy her friendship for the remaining four years of her life.

We met when I joined the Council of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Margaret had been a member of the Council for some years previously. She became the deputy chancellor and I the chancellor. She was an ideal colleague. Her familiarity with the world of Academe and her innate common sense were manifest in the wisdom of her advice and the firmness of her decisions. For me, a novice in university governance, she was a wonderful mentor. She was always available for a chat about the affairs of the day. If she was out and the answering machine gave the caller the instruction 'to speak after the beep or, to send a fax, start now!', she never failed to respond when she came home. Her cheery voice would lighten the most serious discussion and her robust views would resolve most issues.

Margaret presided at graduation ceremonies with great dignity and she shared the joy of the graduands, their families and their friends as they celebrated the occasion. She insisted on carrying out this function even when she was no longer able to stand. But she never allowed her illness and disability to cast the slightest pall over these occasions. When Margaret chaired a committee - sometimes seized of a controversial issue - she maintained a firm rein on the proceedings without alienating the contending parties. Her influence on university affairs was immense and widespread - not only because she was involved in a wide variety of fields but also because she was held in affectionate respect by all elements of the university. She had a clear view of the role and destiny of UTS and she left her mark upon it and upon the personnel whom she selected or helped to select to conduct its affairs.

Students and their problems were her especial concern. In earlier times, student life was sufficiently relaxed to permit most students to take part in the social and extra-curricular activities which were then assumed to be part of a tertiary education. In recent times, the cost of living and the payment of compulsory fees have turned even full-time students into full-time workers. The pressures of student life have increased accordingly. Margaret was acutely sensitive to this change and to the difficulties which faced those who were working their way through a degree or a research project. This affected the opinions she expressed at meetings of the university council though she insisted that the solution to student problems be both practical and appropriate. Whatever the context, she was stern in resisting absurdity or excess. She exemplified the duty of a council member to make decisions in the best interests of the university as a whole.

The sterling qualities of her character were most in evidence in the closing months of her life. She knew that the surgery for the removal of her tumour was serious; she was aware of the significance of the subsequent manifestations of the disease; she appreciated the limited time that was left to her and the strength that she would be able to muster as the days went by. Taking all this into account, she charted her work program for the university, refusing to slow down before it was inevitable or to do anything less than she was capable of doing. She did not complain; she preserved her impish sense of humour and the quizzical smile; she sought no allowance for her illness save the need to sit at graduation ceremonies. She would allow no sadness on the part of her friends.

Whether in hospital or confined to her home, she remained avid for news of the university - and of the personalities involved. Although she was never a seeker of honours, her delight was tangible when told that the council had resolved that an Honorary Doctorate of the University be conferred upon her. It was the appropriate acknowledgement of her years of invaluable service. She looked forward to the graduation ceremony when the degree was to be conferred and was involved in the planning to ensure that she could be present for the occasion, but the end came too quickly. The degree was conferred posthumously and the testamur received by her beloved niece, Sandy Wilkins.

Margaret left us in quietness and dignity. She was remembered in a splendid celebration in the Guthrie Theatre when those who had known and worked with and loved her spoke movingly of this outstanding woman. We have been enriched by knowing her; the university is the stronger and its values the better for her participation; her profession has been developed and inspired. We have missed her greatly although her influence has remained.

Biographical information

Sir Gerard Brennan, AC, KBE, became Chancellor of the University of Technology, Sydney in December 1998 shortly after his retirement as Chief Justice of Australia. Margaret Trask was the deputy chancellor and, in the four years prior to her death, they formed a close working relationship. They both enjoyed their commitment to the work of the university, supported as it was by their friendship and the mutual respect of the university's senior officers.