QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Keith Leopold’s legacy lives on

Keith Leopold was an only child of German and Australian-Scottish parents. Raised in the Lower Hunter in NSW, his secondary schooling was at Maitland Boys’ High. On completing the Leaving Certificate he was in the 1938 intake at Armidale Teachers College and awarded a scholarship to the New England University College. In 1940 he transferred to the University of Sydney and, at the end of 1942, completed an Arts degree with First Class Honours and the University Medal in German. After time in the Australian Special Intelligence he was released from the army to be a Diplomatic Cadet in the fast-growing Department of External Affairs [today DFAT]. At the end of 1945 an offer from the University of Sydney made him decide that an academic career was preferable to a diplomatic career. He spent 1946 teaching in the German Department of the University of Sydney and the next year was appointed Lecturer in German at the University of Queensland (UQ) where, in his own words, he taught “everything from Old High German to the most recent Thomas Mann novel”. Keith Leopold’s efforts soon brought tangible results: the department grew to become, in the 1960s, the largest German Department in the country. He attributed this growth above all to the enlightened attitude of the Queensland education department at that time to the teaching of foreign languages to the untiring efforts and dedication of the staff in the German Department, especially his colleague and friend, Dr Gunther Bonnin. All who have worked with Keith Leopold, however, know that the rise of the study of German to real prominence in Queensland was primarily due to his unwavering promotion of his field, not only at the university but also throughout Queensland. His visits to country schools and his ‘sights and sounds lectures’ on German culture were attended by enthusiastic audiences. In 1959, together with Professor Mahoney, he was instrumental in forming the Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Queensland (MLTAQ), Professor Mahoney becoming President with Dr Leopold and Mr Don Munro Vice-Presidents. He soon became Head of the Department of German at UQ, his contribution acknowledged by the offer of the Chair in German in 1964. This led to the award by the German Government of the Verdienstkreuz 1.Klasse in 1973. He remained head of the department for 21 years until his retirement in 1985. During his 39 year UQ tenure he also gained knowledge of the universities of Tübingen, Köln and Hamburg. His publications include many articles, a series of language texts in German and French and three novels in English.

Professor Keith Leopold 30 July 1920 – 13 July 1999

His textbook Introducing German was used by students and Teachers of German for many years, as were his school readers. For many people who did not know him personally, Keith Leopold was thereby a household name. German studies grew rapidly in the state, gaining further impetus through the annual Goethe Poetry Competition for Secondary School Students, inaugurated by Keith Leopold, still going strong and currently attracting almost 2,000 entries. He regularly attended the MLTAQ German Camps as guest of honour, and it really impressed the students to meet the author of books they were studying at school. When language study was no longer compulsory for an Arts degree, Professor Leopold organised German ‘quiz nights’ at UQ. This helped promote German in schools, and he was also responsible for, and wrote, many ABC Radio German for Schools programs. Since his retirement he lived a quiet widower’s life in the Brisbane suburb of Paddington. His many friends – students, colleagues and teachers – mourned his passing on 13 July 1999. References: This is a condensed extract of the MLTAQ’s award conferring Life Membership on Keith Leopold, including information from his book Came to Booloominbah, A Country Scholar’s Progress 1938 -1942 and part of the eulogy given by Tanya Christa, Head of Department, German and Russian Studies. mltaq.asn.au

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