Aus: Really sad news, much loved Prof Margot Prior lost to a short illness 24/3/1937 to 24/8/2020

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

I've asked permission to share these wonderful, personal descriptions of the work and contribution of Professor Margot Prior who has sadly passed on:

Dear APS Colleagues

Prof Margot Prior AO

I am writing to you because you are either an Honorary Fellow, Fellow, Life Member or Board member of the APS to advise you the APS has learnt that Prof Margot Prior passed away Monday evening. Sadly, Margot contracted Covid approximately 10 days ago. She was 83 years old.

Before her psychology career, Margot was an accomplished musician playing with orchestras across Australia and the UK for over two decades after graduating from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Music. She then returned to university to study psychology.

Throughout her career Margot was an important contributor to the discipline of psychology at La Trobe University and the practice of psychology at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

She was instrumental in the development of La Trobe University postgraduate programs, was a founding member of Psychologists for the Prevention of War (now Psychologists for Peace), contributed to the establishment of the La Trobe Institute for Peace Research, and was an architect of the Australian Temperament Project, a major longitudinal project, which commenced in 1983.

When La Trobe promoted Margot to Professor in 1989 she was the first female Professor of Clinical Psychology in Australia. Five years later, she went to work at the University of Melbourne where she was the Inaugural Director of Psychology at the Royal Children's Hospital, but her connection with La Trobe remained strong.

Margot was the Inaugural Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC), a role she maintained for many years. When a new wing was added to the La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre approximately 10 years ago, it was named the Margot Prior Wing and it has hosted the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC).

Margot leaves a great legacy, and was a friend and mentor to many, including Cheryl Dissanayake (Director, OTARC). Among her many honours are Officer of the Order of Australia (2004) for service to the discipline of psychology in the areas of developmental and clinical psychology and for research leading to significant advances in the care and treatment of children with autism, learning difficulties and anxiety disorders. She was a National Finalist, Senior Australian of the Year (2006), was a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Autism Research in 2018.

Margot was a Fellow of the APS having held APS membership for nearly 46 years.

I would like to acknowledge Prof Stephen Kent from La Trobe University who provided the above touching words about Margot.


Dr Zena Burgess FAPS
Interim CEO
APS

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

Margot certainly made a huge contribution to research on child development, and particularly to the Australian Temperament Study, an ongoing longitudinal study initiated in 1983 and still collecting data on the contribution of personal, family and environmental factors to development and wellbeing from three generations of the same families. About two thirds of the families are still participating in this study after 30 years.

However, the publication of most interest to members of DDOLL is probably the paper on Learning to Read in Australia, co-authored with Max Coltheart, and published in the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties in 2006 (Volume 11, No 4, pages 157-164).

See Abstract of this paper below:

Learning to read in Australia

Max Coltheart1 and Margot Prior2

Macquarie University1, University of Melbourne2

Abstract

Reading scientists have learned a good deal over the past 40 years about how children learn to read, why some find this so hard, and how such children can be helped. But this science has not reached many classrooms. National governments in the USA, UK and Australia have all recently been so concerned about the incidence of poor reading ability amongst their children that they have commissioned national surveys of reading and the teaching of reading. The Australian review committee issued its report and recommendations in December 2005. The report found that in most teacher training courses around Australia very little time was devoted to material on how children learn to read and how best to teach them, and that a majority of senior staff in schools consider that beginning teachers are not adequately prepared to teach children to read. The report recommended various ways in which this problem might be solved; and it also recommended, on the basis of a review of relevant research, that the teaching of reading in Australian schools should always include in the early years extensive systematic explicit instruction in synthetic phonics. We await implementation of these recommendations.

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

Margot was a local beacon for me in the early years when I was unsure about the right path to improving the literacy outcomes for struggling students. Her advocacy was strong in both journals and local media, and was aways backed by important local as well as international research.

Even in her later years, she remained a staunch supporter of the potential role of evidence in educational policy and practice.

One example I recall from 2013 was in response to a despairing post I made about Arrowsmith and ACER:

"Good on you Kerry. The Age won't publish me either. Can I suggest that you do a bit longer piece in this vein for "The Conversation' which is on line from Melbourne Uni. It is widely read."


Cheers
Margot

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

A huge loss. So sharp, so committed, so warm, and with always a twinkle in her eye. Difficult to think of another Australian who has achieved more in improving the lives of children with learning difficulties.

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

She will be greatly missed. Her little book “Understanding Specific Learning Difficulties” 1996 edition has guided me for years…

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

We are grieving the loss of a giant in our field and a truly remarkable and exceptional woman. It was a privilege to know her.

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

Margot graciously met with me and advised me on how to assess temperament for my PhD on anxiety and stuttering. I was such a novice and so inexperienced and she was the expert. She spoke with me and treated me like an equal. I am so sad to hear of her passing.

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

So devastating to hear of Margot's passing and such an enormous loss to our profession. She was a powerhouse of energy, so wise, so generous and had such a positive impact on so many people's lives, mine especially. She will be sadly missed and it's very hard to believe she's gone

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

Here is a tribute page provided via The Age - with some wonderful, warm tributes to Margaret:

https://tributes.theage.com.au/obituari ... -prior-ao/

Tributes can be added to this page via the link above.