At 17, Kathrine M Reynolds made an audacious claim. “I wanted to learn everything,” she said. “I feel incredibly naive when I recall my childish self.” Decades later, the scope of her study and research suggests she came remarkably close.
Her first love was science. “I had wanted to be a veterinarian all my life,” she said. She began Veterinary Science at Sydney in 1968, then rebuilt after setbacks by shifting to UNSW and an MSc Qualifying year on the embryology of the red kangaroo. “I worked at the UNSW field station at Fowlers Gap, about 100 kilometres north of Broken Hill,” she said. Life was rugged and communal. “Mail came twice a week if it did not rain. I remember the excitement of receiving my envelopes from UNE, the thrill of learning new information.”
That was the start of a 51-year relationship with UNE. “The residential schools were great fun,” she said. “Meeting people from everywhere, all studying together.” Over time she wove an unconventional tapestry of study. Latin and Ancient Greek. A Dip Ed at UNE with methods in English and Science. Later, Italian, German and Chinese. “I loved Italian, especially the residential schools,” she said.
Language opened the door to a career in migration history. “I was given access to a plethora of mid nineteenth century data,” she said. “I took some time to publish my German data and it turned into a PhD at Sydney.” Books followed, in English and German. “One launch in a German town was a highlight. There were talks and seminars for ten days. The publisher asked to use the book as a textbook. Of course I agreed.”
Crime and justice drew her deeper. “I moved into Australian female convicts by happenstance and have enjoyed the area,” she said. “We have a large pool of women from 1800 to 1840 whom we have been investigating for more than a decade.” Her papers explore forgery, man robbery, the economics of crime, and victims as prosecutors. “We publish slowly and thoughtfully.”
Image: Cover on the first issue of the 'Teacher's Federation Journal' depicting the ideal that every state school-child had the opportunity to proceed to higher education.
Criminology at UNE was a turning point. “My B Crim is my favourite undergraduate course,” she said. “I was fascinated by what I learned. The lecturers were totally committed and always willing to help.” Law came next. “I grew up with the law, with legal arguments round the dinner table,” she said. Her family includes a President of the NSW Court of Appeal, solicitors, and her grandfather Herb Moffitt, a barrister and Bulletin cartoonist. “My favourite cartoon shows children at a bush school with the University high on the hill. The Teachers Federation’s first journal issue of ‘Education’ used the cartoon for its cover.”
Reynolds now brings her legal studies to bear on nineteenth century practice as an adjunct in UNE Criminology. She also volunteers at an historical society, has served as trustee and executor, and cares for family members. “I am interested in Elder Law and Succession,” she said. “I plan to practice law on a very part time basis in a pro bono legal centre after PLT (Practical Legal Training) and continue publishing my research.”
What endures is curiosity. “I am a researcher,” she said. “I like having an inquiring mind. I love learning. It makes life interesting.” Her message to students and late returners is plain. “Hang in there, if that is what you want,” she said. “Sometimes opportunity comes knocking in diverse unexpected areas.”
