MASA Life Members

The Extraordinary Journey of Keith Hamann

It was indeed a great day for Mathematics education when Keith Hamann decided to accept an offer to enter the D course at Adelaide Teachers College and Adelaide University in 1948.

‘I was similar to just about everyone else,’ explained Keith. ‘I could not afford to go to university without being recruited by the Education Department on a scholarship. We were paid one pound per week.’

Keith was an exceptional sportsman who was proficient in cricket, tennis, football, soccer and baseball. He played A grade soccer for West Torrens and was awarded a ‘Blue’ for cricket.

‘At one stage, I seemed destined to become a Physical Education teacher, but Ron Close persuaded me to study for a Science degree.’

Keith grew up near Lameroo and went to school at Yappara. His father, William John Hamann was a farmer and a rigger while his mother was a teacher from Western Australia. Prior to her marriage, she was Lucy Lillian Doig.

Keith rode a horse for the seven miles to school at Yappara. Not surprisingly, Keith enjoyed school and excelled in all subjects especially reading in the early years of his education. He had nothing but praise for all his teachers, describing them as dedicated and professional. Yappara was Keith’s school until Grade 4, before switching to Challa Gardens for the remainder of his Primary schooling. Keith’s secondary education saw him attend Croydon Boys Tech, Le Fevre Boys Tech and Adelaide High School before embarking on his tertiary studies at Adelaide Teachers College and Adelaide University in 1948. He graduated with a Diploma of Secondary Teaching and a Bachelor of Science.

When asked to nominate his best teachers, Keith had some difficulty in isolating some over the others.

‘They were all good, but I would have to give credit to the Close brothers (Maths), Don Maynard (Maths/Physics) and Stan Edmonds (Chemistry)’.

Keith’s first appointment as a teacher was Booleroo Centre High School. It was there that he met his wife, June and made a name for himself as a star footballer, being part of a premiership team in 1953.

The five years in Booleroo were happy ones, before transferring to Adelaide High, then Port Pirie High and Enfield High. It was at Enfield that he enjoyed his teaching the most.

‘The high quality of the staff at Enfield made it a pleasure to teach there.’

Ten years as an Inspector (later known as Principal Education Officer), in which  he visited schools offering advice and conducting assessments, were punctuated by visits to Michigan State University in USA as visiting professor in 1976, 1983 and 1986. Keith described the American students as no better than their Australian counterparts except in their superior ability to ask good questions.

Widely acclaimed as one of the finest Mathematics teachers in SA, Keith had two stints as President of MASA (Maths Association). His service was recognised with an Order of Australia award and winner of the prestigious B H Neumann Award. However Keith claimed he did not have a ‘gift’ for Mathematics.

‘I always enjoyed Maths and Science. I liked Trigonometry, manipulating numbers and algebraic expressions.’

Aspiring Mathematics teachers could do no better than to heed Keith’s advice:

• Be a master of your subject
• Think about the timing of your lessons
• Take pride in the presentation of your whiteboard
• Always respond to the need to help a student
• Command respect
• Dress professionally
• Be active while your students are working
• Allow students to check their work against your solutions on the whiteboard
• Keep up with professional reading

Those fortunate enough to have been taught by Keith will attest to his legendary ability to build a lesson using a questioning approach:

• Ask good leading questions to develop student interest and understanding
• Acknowledge good answers
• Use incorrect answers to develop the next question
• Expect a response from all students
• To make your subject ‘travel’, each problem and topic will have use and meaning in the subsequent topic and problem
• Make no distinction between genders

It is well understood that the standard of Mathematics teaching in Australian schools is declining. To state the obvious, we need an improvement in the quality of our graduates, but Keith offered further suggestions.

‘We need to put a stop to parents making comments like: my child has never been good at Maths. All children need encouragement. Another important factor is that Mathematics needs to have consistency when it comes to the meaning of words and symbols. The facts and language relating to Maths needs to be consistent.’

When asked whom he regarded as the greatest Mathematician of all time, Keith gave the nod to Carl Friedrich Gauss.

‘There have been numerous great Mathematicians, but I would place him at the top. Of those current, Terry Tao, who was a student at Blackwood High, would have to be ranked among the top three world-wide.’

Keith knew Terry’s parents well and for some time supported Terry with his progress.

‘I had a lot more to do with Terry’s brother, Nigel, when I helped him prepare for a Maths Olympiad.’

Keith spoke fondly of the late Carol Moule.

‘We were both involved with MASA for a long time. Carol was an exceptional teacher and a wonderful Mathematician. She is still missed by many.’

Earlier, mention was made of Keith’s sporting ability, succeeding in whichever sport was chosen.

‘When I knew I would be teaching in the country, it made sense to focus on Australian Rules.’

Keith played football for Kenilworth (St Marys) , Strathalbyn (Premiers 1952), Booleroo Centre (Premiers 1953) and Magill Royals (Premiers 1963). Keith and his wife June were great friends of Magarey Medallist Bob Hank and his wife Audrey.

Many teachers of Mathematics would be aware of the long-running Hamann School Mathematics Competition, for which Keith wrote the questions for high school entrants for many decades, a remarkable contribution throughout his later years!

It has often been said that a great teacher will affect the lives of many people both directly and indirectly. If all of those who have benefitted from Keith Hamann’s expertise, dedication and excellence as an educator could be gathered in one place, the MCG might well be too small!

A man of Keith’s talent could arguably have succeeded in any profession he chose. How fortunate are those that have benefitted from his legacy, that he became a teacher.