Terry Fogarty

I went to the Mittagong Juniorate in 1964 after attending Lidcombe Marist Brothers. Mike Burns, Bill Waddell, Peter Renshaw, Paul McLeod and Richard Fitzpatrick also came from Lidcombe.

I returned to the Novitiate after spending a week at Joeys at the start of 1966 but left the Novitiate early in 1966 (can’t remember which month) but certainly before donning soutane/cassock and bib.

After I left the monks I got a job as a Clerk in the NSW Government Transport Department whilst I awaited entry to University in 1967. In 67 I was offered a Commonwealth Scholarship but elected to take the bonded Teachers’ Scholarship as it was financially better.

I ended up spending four years at Sydney University graduating with Honours in Geography. This led to an offer to become the first Doctoral student in Social Geography at Macquarie University. I mucked around at Macquarie for four and half years doing part-time Lecturing and Tutoring then decided I didn’t really wanted to spend the rest of my life in an institution. After my first year at Macquarie I married Mary Murphy who I had met at Sydney University. She became a secondary school teacher. I became the longest-serving trainee teacher in NSW until Neville Wran abolished the bonded system.

Looking around for a job I stumbled across a Research position as a Town Planner with the City of Sydney Council. I still had long flowing hair in those days and went to the job interview wearing a caftan and clogs. I got the position based on my impeccable dress sense. I spent a couple of years with planning then became involved with the Computerisation Project of Council which I managed for a few years. This opened my mind to the money to be had in the Computer Industry so I put myself on the market and was snapped up by NCR to consult on their Local Government Systems.

I spend 13 years with NCR in Sales & Marketing eventually becoming a Senior Manager. NCR was eventually taken over by AT&T (at the time the largest corporation in the world). I was developing the company’s strategic plan and was offered a redundancy.

I had been tracking the early emergence of the Internet and decided to look for something that combined the Internet and Education. I found this with a small company called Open Net that had been set up by the Australian Government to facilitate on-line learning. It was Open Net that established the original $5.00 per hour Internet access charge. Working at Open Net was a sizzle. One of the ‘best-hung’ boards, chaired by Brian Johns who was Managing Director of the ABC at the time. Another Board member was Daniel Petre of Microsoft. Microsoft was intending to launch a X.25 version of MSM. Open Net convinced them that the IP based Internet was the more sensible way to go. The rest is history.

After a couple of years of operation, Open Net was seen by its ‘shareholders’ (about 13 influential Universities) to pose too much of a treat to their on-line learning ambitions and we were closed down.

Fortunately, at the same time I was ‘head-hunted’ by an old mate from ICL who worked with us at the City Council. This US company was originally called Gupta. They had developed the first Development Environment and Database for Windows. However, their star was wanning. I spent around five years with the company now know as Centura and eventually as Mbrane. I managed the Asia Pacific region from India to Korea. My job involved me being ‘on the road’ for many days a month.

Mbrane went ‘belly-up’ around the time of November 11. I took stock for a year or so as I pondered what to do next. I was financially reasonably secure and looking for a retirement job. On the advice of my wife Mary I decided to ‘retire’ to teaching (she hates it when I say that but not having to travel, except during 14 weeks of holidays, was bliss for me).

Only trouble as I had never completed that Diploma of Education. So I knocked over a CertIV in AWL and approached the private school. Pittwater House at Collaroy took me on at their only Computing Studies Teacher (7-12). I enrolled in a DipEd by correspondence at UNE, did my first prac at Pittwater House and my second in Devenport in Tasmania during my school holidays the following year.

I had enjoyed going back to University so much as a student that I the enrolled and completed a Master of Education (ICT) part-time then was offered another go for a Doctorate in Education at UNE.

I taught at Pittwater House for about eight years until I suffered a heart attack about two years ago.

My doctors told me I had to:

Lose weight
Get fit
Get rid of stress from my life

I have been trying to do all three since them, to varying degrees of success.

Back when I worked for AT&T we were encouraged to give something back to our local communities. I decided to stand for election as an independent Councillor on Willoughby City Council. This was 1997. I was elected and have been subsequently re-elected for a total of four terms (17 years). Currently, this is my only gainful activity.

You may recall that I mentioned that I had married Mary back in December 1971. I refer to her as ‘my first wife’ (just in case). We are still married.

Mary and I bought a terrace in Newton soon after becoming married. We lived there for about 17 years. During this time we made a number of overseas trips to India, China and Asia. We were also active in outdoor pursuits such as camping, walking, fishing, cross-country skiing 4W driving and canoeing.

Around the time she was nearing 40 Mary turned clucky. We now have three gorgeous chicks (Jacqui – 24; Dani – 22 and Cait – 19). All lived at home until August 2010 when Jacqui and Dani bought a lovely unit together at Pymble.

Around 20 years ago we moved to Chatswood.

Mary has had a fantastic career in the NSW Government Schools system over the past 38 years. She was a classroom teacher at Chatswood High for 20 years. Head Teacher at Willoughby Girls for 10 years and Deputy Principal at Turramurra High for 8 years.

Mary has also been active in the NSW Teachers Federation over most of her teaching career. It has been suggested this is most likely the reason she was never offered a Principal’s position by the DET. To counter, her Federation involvement has been most fruitful She was the longest serving member of the NSW Board of Studies as its secondary teacher rep; the Federations Custodian for maybe 10 years, Director of Federation Health Society and Federation Law.

Mary has recently ‘seperated’ from the DET to take on a position as a Research Officer for her union for the next 3 years with the prospects of her working until she is 70.

I have decided not to proceed with my EdD but am considering starting a law degree or a Diploma in Philosophical Studies.

I am supposed to be the ‘house husband’ but Mary has been complaining that I don’t do as good a job as the cleaners we employed for many years. I am also finding keeping up the gym regime and dieting difficult. Basically, I am bone lazy and enjoy the good life too much.

I am looking forward to catching with as many of you from the days at Mittagong that I can as soon as possible. Those days still figure in the highlights of my life.