Phillip Treweek
Some Background
Phil can be contacted at : [email protected]
Phil can be contacted at : [email protected]
Well, you may be checking up on me for a reason, or you may just be curious. In either case, welcome! This page is part curriculum vitae, part personal comment. Make of it as you will.
There are sections on:
My Interests -
Work History -
Work Skills -
Education -
Research & Publications
For most folk, I guess the background details, and interests will probably be more than enough!
Last Update:- 12 August, 2001
| Full Name : | Phillip James TREWEEK |
| Address : | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Born : | 1963 (Taumarunui) |
| Ethnic Origin : | Pakeha (a New Zealand born person of European heritage). |
| Nationality : | New Zealand Citizen |
| Marital Status : | Married |
| Health : | Good - but I should exercise more. . . |
| Criminal Record : | None |
This document was getting a bit out of date - four years without an update. So hopefully now its a better reflection of me. However, it's a terrible decision having to decide what to tell people - so what has 'shaped me'?
I'm a 6th generation New Zealander (the first New Zealand Treweeks arrived in New Plymouth in 1842) - my parents (Ted and Marian) come from Eltham, in Taranaki and Ohura, in the King Country. Although born in Taumaranui (while my folks lived in Ohura), I grew up in Edgecumbe, a small town (popn 2000 approx) in the Bay of Plenty. Despite being a 'townie', it was very much a 'country' town, and I guess I was a countrified kid. I was quiet and well behaved - somewhat bookish and probably very boring! I moved to Hamilton in 1982 to attend University, and really relished the opportunity to break loose - the result was that I only passed 14 courses in the space of three years (my record has improved somewhat since then, as you can see below). I have been a Hamiltonian ever since.
My partner of fifteen years is Louise. She is a lovely lady, and puts up with a lot from me. For many years we were, as my father puts it, 'married, but not churched'. We weren't in any hurry to get married (although some of our friends seemed to be in a hurry for us), and it took me seven years to get around to asking. Even then we might not have taken the next step if it hadn't been for attending three funerals in as many weeks in late 1998. So we wed in early 1999, and promptly started a family. To date we have one of each - one born late last century, and one born early in this century. This has been somewhat disturbing to our other family - a very nice cat (we used to have two, but one liked to play chicken with cars)!
I am definitely a 'cat' person - no dogs in our house! My other interests are varied - somewhat eclectic really - and are described in more detail below.
I have been described in many ways - especially by my students. Some people say I am 'old' - in the sense that I am inclined to be serious - but that is only when it is needed (part of being a 'boss' really). These days it may just be my age.! As my friends will also tell you, I have a strange sense of humour. I have nearly been thrown out of a cinema for laughing too loud, and Billy Connelly once said some rude things about me during one of his concerts because I was laughing so much (for which I will always be impressed). I believe the pun is an art-form, and Terry Pratchett is a truely great author!
As to the rest of my character - see what you can work out . . .
Well, this is the bit where you're really supposed to find out about people. I find that in most CV's people tend to strain to fill this bit out. This isn't really a formal CV, so see if you can really tell anything about me - or if I have fibbed! Since the family started to appear, I find most my interest tend to fall into the 'I used to' category:
Exercise: I used to swim and cycle and occasionally indulge in a game of squash. My shape is said 'to have changed' over the past few years. Periodically I attempt to do something about this - mostly without success. Exercise is okay in its place, but I don't rave about it. Mostly I just walk. I have several friends and an insistent partner, who keep trying to drag me into various activities. I'm sorry - but I don't look good in bike shorts!!
Similarly, I used to have a strong interest in Kendo (Japanese fencing) and the related martial art 'Iai-do'. Unfortunately, I have not been able to participate as regularly as I would like. Since the Waikato University Kendo Club has reformed, I really should do something about this. I own a Blade ( a Seki pattern military Katana made by Uozumi in 1941,with all the original fittings) and this is not a good topic to get me onto - I can be a little obsessive!
Modelling: I used to enjoy constructing static models. My predominant interests are RNZAF and US Navy aircraft, both past and present. I have been accused of being a kit collector rather than a builder as my collection of unmade kits far exceeds my completed models. I hope that time will fix that. I have also dabbled in radio control models - a 1:150 scale Type 82 destroyer which took two years to build (I figured a ship is harder to crash than a plane). This is also not a good topic to get me on - I can be very obsessive!!
Aviation This is a passion - many of the interests listed here come together as part of my interest in aircraft. I don't know if my Dad and his brothers having spent time in the RNZAF had anything to do with it - but I've been plane crazy since I was a kid! I enjoy this so much that I have even set up a website - which may be why you're reading this - if not, try here. I consider myself to be an amateur historian, and I am a member of the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand, and an affiliate of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Photography: The website is an outlet for my photography. My camera is a real friend. In fact, I have two - both Minolta X300. Some of my kinder friends refer to me as 'Phil, the bastard photographer'. Others say much worse things! I concentrate primarily on aircraft, landscapes and items of historical interest, although I am developing an interest in portraiture. I'm starting to explore filters, and the joys of owning a flash. I have branched out into photojournalism, and my pictures have appeared in more than half a dozen different magazines. This can be a very boring subject of conversation if I'm involved, and if you value your sanity, don't ask to see the albums!!
Reading: Reading and collecting books. Yes, I am a bookworm - I don't have enough time to read as much as I would like. This is a very serious interest. I'll read about anything if the time is right - but history is a particular favourite. Recently my focus has narrowed to NZ aviation, but my interests are broad and eclectic. I currently have a library of several thousand volumes of fiction and non-fiction. This is predominantly the reason why I don't wish to shift house again - and why we added a room onto the garage. More a participative activity than a spectator sport, but a good topic for conversation - I will discuss books!!
Music: I don't play myself (although maybe one day), but I do enjoy listening to music. My taste is also somewhat eclectic, and the CD's are costing me a fortune - although the kids have cramped my purchasing power however. Not a good topic to get me onto!!!
Genealogy: Researching my family background is an outlet for my interest in history. The research is currently back to 1646 and looking further still. I am starting a web page here, so I can fascinate those who are outside my regular conversation range!!
Skills - Computing
I have had over the years experience with a number of systems, programming languages and applications. My contact with these began as a student, but I have gained subsequent experience in the teaching environments, and as a user/developer. I would consider myself to be familiar with the following, or able to refresh myself with a little revision:
Skills - Education
While not a formally trained teacher, I have more than fifteen years teaching experience, both in the classroom and laboratory environments. I feel I have a responsibility to provide the highest level of teaching I can, and have made strenuous efforts to improve my skills. I therefore attempt to keep up my knowledge-base through reading, attending seminars, and workshops (such as those provided by the University Teaching & Learning Development Unit (TLDU)). I am engaged in formal study, with ongoing study toward a Diploma in Education Studies. I have also attended the following courses:
Skills - Administration
A large segment of my job involves various administrative tasks. I have to admit there are actually some aspects of my tasks that I enjoy - although correspondingly there are some I don't. I am involved in activities as diverse as timetabling, resourcing, material production, budgeting, timesheets, and procedure assessment. This has allowed me to develop a number of skills. I think the ability to identify requirements, schedule work appropriately, and finish tasks in a timely, accurate and clear fashion are of particular importance. In many cases with my job, the completion of work will cause problems only for myself - this has encouraged good management approaches to avoid the problems. However, where my administration impacts on others, it is even more important not to cause inconvenience.
It is difficult to spell out all the skills involved in administrative work - but I think more than skills, the right attitude is required. The tasks aren't always fun, but they need to be done. Seeing that need is a step toward learning what is required to do them properly.
Skills - People Management
As much of my role as Senior Tutor involves dealing with people, I have attempted to improve my skills in this area. I am a firm believer in treating people with respect, and in a manner which encourages them to be their best. I have made an effort to emulate several people who I thought provided a good model, but as well as observing others, I have made an effort to gain assistance in improving my skills as a supervisor. In particular, I have attended the following courses:
Other Useful Experiences
In addition to my directly work related skills, I have had a number of other experience which have helped shape my work attitudes
My research has mainly been associated with my work - I am interested in students, and how the learning environment can be improved for them. The laboratories I administer use a mix of Mac's and PC's, which has required some careful consideration in planning the teaching. The mix of machines has also provided opportunity to compare student behaviours. This lead me into my Masters thesis research topic, where I looked at factors which influence students in their preference for a particular machine interface. I found preference is based on liking and liking is based on experience (I wanted to call it stating the obvious but wasn't allowed to).
I received a good solid schooling, being educated at Edgecumbe Primary school (1968-1976) and Edgecumbe College (1977-1981) before moving on to the University of Waikato. Being rather 'bookish', I enjoyed my school days. As is typical in New Zealand, I sat the external examinations in fifth form (year 11) and seventh form (year 13). I was accredited (passed based on internal course marks) the sixth form qualifications (year 12), as is common. A summary of my high school qualifications follows:
My tertiary education has occurred at The University of Waikato, where I commenced as an undergraduate in 1982. Moving away from home and into a Halls of Residence (Student Village), I tended to enjoy life somewhat, and my three year BSc took four years to complete. Interestingly, having knuckled down, my BA for which I studied part-time, also took four years to complete. I know find that studying has become addictive, and having completed a Masters degree, I have moved on to a Diploma in Education Studies (although the children and travel seem to have slowed progress on this). A summary of my tertiary qualifications (so far) follows:
Where to from here?