Eric Paul Willmot , (31 January 1936 – 20 April 2019) was an Australian Aboriginal scholar, educator and engineer.

Education

Willmot was educated first at various Queensland schools and then obtained his BSc and DipED at the

University of Newcastle (Australia) The University of Newcastle (UON), informally known as Newcastle University, is a public university in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1965, it has a primary campus in the Newcastle suburb of Callaghan. The university als ...

. Willmot eventually obtained his Master of Education (Research) in 1980 at the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...

Career

After obtaining his Master of Education, Willmot joined the faculty of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. He was the first indigenous principal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies from 1981-1984 (later known as the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

, AIATSIS). Willmot later joined the

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

as Professor of Education. Willmot retired from public administration in 1994 to then do engineering research in private enterprise. In 1986, Willmot gave the annual series of

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

Boyer Lectures The Boyer Lectures are a series of talks by prominent Australians, presenting ideas on major social, scientific or cultural issues, and broadcast on ABC Radio National. The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commis ...

on "Australia The Last Experiment". In the same year, he gave the inaugural

Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture The University of New England (UNE) is a public university in Australia with approximately 22,500 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern central New South Wales. UNE was the fir ...

on "Future Pathways: Equity or Isolation". Other esteemed positions held by Willmot included Director of Research at the ANU, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and Chief Education Officer in the ACT Department of Education.

Personal

Willmot was born on 31 January 1936 in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. He died at

Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills is a suburb in the Hills District of Greater Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 30 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district within the local government area of The Hills Shire. Ba ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

on 20 April 2019.

Honours and awards

* 1981 Australian Inventor of the Year * 1984 Member of the Order of Australia for ''service to education and in the field of aboriginal studies''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willmot, Eric Paul 1936 births 2019 deaths University of Canberra alumni University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni Australian National University faculty James Cook University faculty Members of the Order of Australia