She was proud of me despite finding the obsession with sex rather embarrassing

Dedication

I dedicate this thesis to my father, Dr Jack Martin Kirkman, MB, BS (1918-1994). He was an adventurer and autodidact who learnt to drive in a T-Model Ford and to fly in a Tiger Moth, later flying Spitfires as a fighter pilot. He enrolled in medicine as a mature age student and was valued and respected as a general practitioner. With his adventurous spirit, interest in technology, support for social justice, and pursuit of lifelong learning Jack has been an inspiration and role model.

Acknowledgements

Relationships are complicated and I have some complicated relationships with the people acknowledged here. I first met Christopher Fox when I visited him in his office to ask if he was interested in supervising my candidature. Supervision has been complicated over the five years of candidature yet Chris has been a constant source of support and influence, even during the middle period when he was not an official supervisor. When I needed someone Chris came back on board as an honorary associate supervisor demonstrating dedication and belief in the topic—and me. Thank you; you rock. Thank you to Virginia Dickson-Swift who took on the role of principal supervisor and cheerfully assisted in steering me through to the end with prompt feedback, practical working structures and useful conversations. I appreciate that Amanda Kenny accepted me as a candidate and later connected me with Cindy Masaro, which led to a visit to Canada. Rob Townsend briefly stepped in as supervisor. I am very grateful for the participants who gave their time, stories and insights; and without whom this research would not exist.

Actual and virtual communities have made a huge contribution to my learning and ultimate success in the PhD process. The Health Sciences post-grad lab at La Trobe Bendigo has gone through a few locations and different populations. My initial companion in the dungeon lab was Karen Marshall whose friendship and intelligence was vital for a number of reasons. One of her excellent skills was to listen intently and have useful contributions to make when my ideas were unfocussed, managing to find the point I was struggling to express. In the latest iteration of the post-grad lab (not a dungeon; it has great views of sky) the collegiality and sense of community has been an example of how such things should be. Charon Freebody, Elena Wilson and Diana Guzys gave friendship and willingness to participate in discussions. Twitter has been like an associate supervisor and through the discussions, links to resources, and community culture of #phdchat I have had access to a 24/7 source of support and up-to-date ideas. The #sexgeekdom community, online and in person, has been a source of friendship, current research and fun times. Daniel Reeders has been a great sounding board and source of up-to-date information on matters HIV and STI, theory, and health promotion. Mark Tolley kept me functioning with therapeutic massage and simultaneous thoughtful insights. Caitlin Whiteman tested her new editing skills and did a brilliant and speedy job of editing the manuscript, teaching me new things as she went.

Cindy Masaro generously invited a complete stranger to stay for a month, and shared ideas, support and encouragement, in Canada and via Skype. Joy Johnson gave time, wisdom and generosity in allowing me to visit the Institute for Gender and Health at the University of British Columbia and provided supervision while I was there in August 2012.

My family has been encouraging, supportive and shown belief in me and my work. I am sad that my mother, Yvonne Kirkman, died before the thesis was finished; she was proud of me despite finding the obsession with sex rather embarrassing.

Huge thanks, love and appreciation go to Jim Ettles who manages a very complicated relationship with grace and generosity.

Contributor: Linda Kirkman

Source: Kirkman, L (2015) Doing relationships differently: rural baby boomers negotiate friends-with-benefits relationships, PhD, La Trobe University Melbourne

my brothers Nikolas and James Bowe for their programming advice and motivation

I thank my supervisor Simon Puglisi for his patience and guidance, Juha Kärkkäinen (University of Helsinki) for helping me to understand RRR, and Francisco Claude (University of Waterloo) for his advice and explanation of his code. I also thank my brothers Nikolas and James Bowe for their programming advice and motivation. Finally, I thank RMIT University for providing me with a scholarship to complete this paper.

Contributor: @alexbowe
Source: Multiary Wavelet Trees in Practice, Honours Thesis, RMIT Melbourne

…willingness to do lunch and provide instant messenger counseling on demand

To my husband Luke Mewburn: without whom I could not have completed this work. Not only did he offer unstinting love, support and encouragement, but he has proved himself to be a man who is proud to have a wife who has a few more degrees on the wall than he does.

To my son Brendan, age seven, who has endured his mother undertaking two post graduate degrees in the span his short life to date. His affection, patience and willingness to play Nintendo for long periods of time can never be fully rewarded in the form of a completed thesis, but I hope he will read it one day anyway.

Without the financial and material support of the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne this thesis would never have been written. I wish to thank the institution for generously providing me with free tuition and a living stipend during my candidature, as well as supporting study related overseas travel and expenses.

I am indebted to Brent Allpress from the Architecture and Design School at RMIT University for sparking my interest in gesture and to my supervisor, Dr Scott Drake, who gave me latitude to explore the topic in my own way while constantly providing encouragement, advice and guidance. The other members of my supervisory panel: Dr Greg Missingham, Dr Sue Wilks and Dr Peter Raisbeck patiently read and commented on work in progress, providing me with valuable feedback and many interesting ideas. I would also like to thank Dr Scott Heyes of the University of Melbourne for helping me with methodology.

As a fieldwork based study, this thesis relied on the willingness of many students and teachers who agreed to work under my watchful gaze. They all have my heartfelt thanks. In particular I would like to thank the four main teachers who are shown at work in this study: Dr Peter Corrigan, Dr Pia Ednie Brown, Ms Anna Johnson and Mr Simon Wollan. They not only (bravely) opened up their classrooms to me, but they also took the time to help me develop my ideas about the nature of design teaching practice.

I would not have made much progress theoretically without the actor-network theory discussion group at the University of Melbourne, convened by Professor Diane Mulcahy of the Graduate School of Education. The members of the group always made me feel welcome, even though I was a foreigner from the Melbourne School of Design. Lyn Campbell should be singled out as a generous and thoughtful scholar who took the time to walk with me through this intellectual jungle and point out the promising parts of the undergrowth. I would also like to thank Helena Webster of Oxford Brookes University for encouragement and support and Professor Robin Usher, who deserves special thanks for being both an intellectual mentor and supportive boss.

I have been lucky to be surrounded by many other intelligent and thoughtful people who were ready to hear me rehearse argumentation and theories as I progressed through the study, in particular Dr Robyn Barnacle (who has borne the brunt of it) as well as Beatriz Maturana, Janne Morton and Joan Grieg (for the emails). I can never adequately repay the generosity of Dr Bernard Brown for reading the first draft so thoroughly and well. The feedback from Ian Woodcock, Crystal Legacy, Wiryono Rahajo, Julie Rudner and our facilitator, Harriet Searcy, during the writing circle sponsored by the University of Melbourne was invaluable, as was the support from Jane Trewin and Lorenne Wilks of the Research office in the ABP faculty.

I would also like to thank all my friends, in particular Weiss Zhao, Andrew Maher, Colleen Boyle, Jacques Kosky, Felicity Jones, Elanor Parsons, John Ting, Angela Alessi and various other members of the ‘Pods’ for conversations, both of the intellectual and “troubles telling” variety, which kept me sane throughout. My colleagues at the Graduate Research Office at RMIT University, particularly Helen Lethanks for being so great to work with – and for all the cakes.

My extended family have been supportive throughout and I would like to give a shout out to the Mewburns and the Blackfords for all the dinners, lunches and the baby sitting, in particular Barb and Steve Mewburn. Thanks to my father, Roger, always a good academic role model, who pointed out years ago the importance of reading ‘improving books’ and my mother, Velma, who would have been so proud had she lived to see me finish this thesis.

Finally heartfelt thanks and love to my twin sister, Anitra Nottingham, who was always ready to provide me with the benefit of her experience as a professional graphic designer and online teacher as well as willingness to do lunch and provide instant messenger counseling on demand.

Contributor: Inger Mewburn @thesiswhisperer More info here.
Source: Mewburn, I (2009) Constructing bodies: gesture, speech and representation at work in architectural design studios, PhD, University of Melbourne