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Gazette Article

Prof McCallum - our Senior Australian of the Year

The Artarmon community congratulates Professor Ron McCallum, who was named Senior Australian of the Year for 2011 on Australia Day and before that, NSW Senior Australian of the Year for 2011. Ron, his wife Professor Mary Crock and their family have lived in Artarmon for almost 20 years.

Ron is recognised nationally and internationally for his pursuit of equal rights for people with disabilities. He is the first totally blind person to have been appointed to a full professorship at an Australian university. Ron was the foundation professor in industrial law at the University of Sydney. From 2002, he served five years as Dean of Law. According to the Australia Day site (www.australianoftheyear.org.au), "Ron is a leading light in the disabled community, working for equality among all Australians - He has fervently pursued equal rights for working people across the globe".

Ron was the inaugural president of the Australian Labour Law Association from 2001 to 2009 and is at present chair of Radio for the Print Handicapped of NSW Co-operative. The organisation runs Radio 2RPH, which reads out newspapers and magazines over the air for the blind and other print handicapped listeners. He is also one of two deputy chairs of Vision Australia and one of 12 members of the first monitoring committee for the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. He was appointed inaugural rapporteur of this committee and is now the chair. McCallum has also recently been appointed to the Federal Government's National People with Disabilities and Carers Council.

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