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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-10-15 Daily Xml
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Grundy, Mr K.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:29): Today, I would like to reflect on the life of a significant South Australian educator, Mr Keith Grundy AM, who passed away peacefully on 2 October at the age of 95. I offer my condolences to his family, in particular his beloved Margaret, his partner in all of his efforts and his achievements. They met first 78 years ago and were married for 72. I had the privilege of talking with Margaret earlier today. It was important for me to let her know of the significant positive impact that Mr Grundy—he will forever be Mr Grundy in my mind—had on my life, but in this chamber I want to also comment on the broader impact that he had on the South Australian community.

Like so many others, Mr Grundy began his teaching career in the country, first for 2½ years at what was then the Kingscote Area School and then 3½ years at Karoonda, during which time he and Margaret began their married life. In 1956, they moved back to Adelaide, and for the next 36 years Mr Grundy taught at Pulteney Grammar, most notably including extended service as head of the junior school, then known as the preparatory school. He continued working at Pulteney in that and other roles through to the late 1990s.

In 1987, Mr Grundy was made a Member of the Order of Australia. His AM was awarded for many services to the community, but in particular to SPELD. For those unfamiliar with SPELD, it is a not-for-profit that provides advocacy, advice and direct support services to children and adults who have specific learning difficulties. They advocate for evidence-based approaches to literacy and an understanding of the science of learning.

Various staff and volunteers associated with SPELD provided me with a great deal of policy advice as shadow education minister ahead of the 2018 election that led to the Literacy Guarantee suite of policy objectives, including the creation of the Literacy Guarantee Unit in the education department, the introduction of the phonics screening check, and the provision of decodable readers in our public schools.

Mr Grundy was one of the founding committee members of SPELD in South Australia, including Remington Pyne in that list. Mr Grundy also served for 25 years on that committee, including two three-year terms as its president. His direct impact on thousands of students and hundreds of teachers during his career can certainly be further amplified by the dramatic positive impact that his role in helping establish SPELD has had in the years since and will continue to have into the future for generations of South Australians.

At school, I recall Mr Grundy as a substantial figure of authority. Firm and disciplined in his approach, he did not suffer fools lightly, nor any foolishness from children. Poor behaviour led to detention, but hard work was celebrated. There were elements of the school rules that were of their time, but by and large Mr Grundy created an extremely happy school environment where students were stretched to achieve their potential. He was ahead of his time in particular when it came to inclusion. He had high expectations when it came to how the school was able to and expected to meaningfully support the achievements of students with disability.

I got to know Mr Grundy in a slightly different light between 2013 and 2018, when a redistribution put part of the suburb of Dernancourt into my seat of Morialta. I met with him a few times and we corresponded. It was interesting looking through my email archive earlier today. In 2013, we corresponded about utility costs and associated charges. We talked about education, understandably. In 2017, he and Margaret wrote me a joint letter of encouragement, which included the following advice:

It is imperative that you remain positive throughout the campaign, focussing on your policies. The general public is…demanding a future permeated with purpose and integrity.

Given his key role in establishing SPELD SA many years earlier, I was very proud to be able to share with him the Literacy Guarantee I described earlier. The last email I have from Mr Grundy was on 20 March 2018, an important day. He wrote,

Dear John,

Margaret and I write to congratulate you on your re-election and the overall performance of the Liberal Party. Naturally, we are disappointed that we are no longer in your electorate.

While being in opposition is demanding the really hard work comes to the fore now you are governing. It is our hope that you will all govern as statesmen and women.

Please pass on our good wishes to your mother.

With best wishes,

Margaret and Keith Grundy AM.

I am equally disappointed they ceased to be in my electorate and I am sorry that we did not have any further opportunities to interact. I hope that our service in government—through some difficult times—met expectations, and I did pass on their good wishes to my mum.

I offer my most sincere condolences to Mr Grundy's family: to Margaret, his partner in all his endeavours, and to his daughters, Dianne and Alison, and their families, including three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Theo, Nina and Remi. I hope they will grow up proud of their great-pa and have a strong understanding of all he achieved.

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