Vale Judy Mousley

Dear Colleagues,

I am deeply saddened to share the tragic news that our colleague and friend Associate Professor Judy Mosely lost her battle with Parkinson’s disease and passed away on 15 September, 2020.

Judy commenced in the Faculty of Education at Deakin in 1982, and continued to have a long and inspiring career in mathematics education. She was well-known for her dedication and passion to the field which was brought to life through her teaching and research with colleagues. But she was also well-known for her compassion for others and her cheeky love of fun which she brought daily to our workplace. I know she touched many of our hearts while she was with us, including my own.

Judy’s close friend, Emeritus Professor Peter Sullivan described Judy as, “… an academic, researcher, activist, innovator, teacher educator, but most of all teacher. She had a particular passion for researching and communicating ways to support the learning of disadvantaged students and their teachers, especially within Indigenous communities…She was a wonderful scholar. Judy paid meticulous attention to detail and was a generous, knowledgeable and principled colleague. Coming from a primary teaching background, Judy was attuned to the importance of knowledge of mathematics for her various roles.

In recognition of Judy’s significant contribution to the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA), she received the award of Life Membership. The citation of her achievements included the following statement:

Judy has held a number of significant leadership roles within MERGA and as MERGA’s representative on other key organisations. She was President of MERGA for two consecutive terms from 2006-2009. During this time she organised and managed the Executive Committee and provided strategic leadership. As a special feature of her tenure as President, Judy focussed on recruiting and retaining members, with a particular concern for new and inexperienced researchers. This saw her organising and developing special events for new delegates and neophyte researchers at the annual conference each year. Strategically, she wanted to see MERGA develop and grow once the foundation members retire.

The citation also noted Judy’s active role and contribution to other professional organisations nationally and internationally including the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.

Judy continued to work casually with the mathematics education team in our School of Education up until 2019, when the onset of the disease prevented her from continuing. Although few of us had the chance to see her during her period of hospitalisation because of COVID-19, it was fortunate that Judy’s husband Ross was able to be with her throughout that time and at the time of her passing.

Judy will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by many of us. I send my condolences to Ross and her family, as well as her many friends and colleagues whose lives have all been enriched for knowing her.

 

 

Prof Damian Blake (PhD; SFHEA)

Head of School, School of Education

Faculty of Arts and Education