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A talent for friendship: Jenny Post retires after 47 years at UNE

August 14, 2006

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With her talent for turning colleagues into life-long friends, Jenny Post created what many of those friends have called a “comfort zone” in her office at The University of New England.

Mrs Post, who retired last week after a 47-year association with the University, spent the last twenty-five-and-a-half of those years as Executive Assistant to the Dean of Arts. Four of the five Deans she has worked with were at her farewell function in “Booloominbah” on Thursday. (The fifth was there in spirit, although called away on business.)

One of those Deans, Mrs Jennifer Crew, confirmed that Mrs Post, in addition to an exemplary efficiency, had the invaluable ability “to put everyone at their ease”. The current Executive Dean, Professor Michael Macklin, in listing Mrs Post’s “virtues”, numbered among them “discretion” and “loyalty” – “loyalty to friends, family, and work colleagues”.

Mrs Post joined the staff of UNE in 1959. Several of her very first colleagues were at the farewell function, as well as about 100 others from subsequent years. Her first position was in the Department of External Studies, where she contributed to the early success of UNE’s world-renowned distance education program. Her husband Max, who joined the staff of the University in 1961, was to become UNE’s Distance Education Coordinator. He retired earlier this year.

Mrs Post devoted the 10 years from the end of 1965 to bringing up her two children Carolyn and Christopher (and is looking forward, now, to spending more time with her five grandchildren). She returned to UNE on a part-time basis in 1976, and worked in several areas before moving to the office of the Dean of Arts. This led to the permanent, full-time position of Executive Assistant to the Dean – a position she held for the past twenty-five-and-a-half years.

Helen McKinnon from the Arts Faculty – now the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – spoke for all her colleagues when she said it had been “an honour and a privilege” to work with Mrs Post. “Her calm demeanour and grace under pressure are legendary,” Mrs McKinnon said.

Mrs Post received a gold necklace as a farewell gift. She also received an album of photographs from throughout her UNE career (and tributes from colleagues – including the five Deans) illustrating the respect and affection of all those she has worked with.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Mrs Jenny Post (second from left) with the current Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Michael Macklin (second from right) and former Deans of the Faculty of Arts (from left) Professor Graham Maddox, Mrs Jennifer Crew, and Professor Randall Albury.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at August 14, 2006 11:12 AM