Mr Malcolm Wegener

Mr Mal Wegener taught at ALC from 2002 to 2007 in the areas of Education, retiring from full-time teaching in April 2008. The December 2007 edition of the Lutheran Theological Journal (LTJ 41/3) contained an editorial tribute to him and other retirees.

About

Mal was born in 1942 in Lobethal, SA, the son of Erich Wegener and Lorna, née Fielke.

In 1964, he married Kathleen Albrecht. After his graduation from Adelaide University and Adelaide Teachers College in 1965, he taught mathematics at Birdwood High School, SA. 

They moved to Victoria in 1967, where Mal taught at Luther College in Melbourne for 18 years. He and Kathleen had two sons and a daughter while living in Victoria.

He became Principal at Good Shepherd College in Hamilton, Vic, for five years. He was founding Principal at Cornerstone College, Mt. Barker, SA from 1990 until 2001.

Mal Wegener was called to the ALC teaching staff in 2002 to head the School of Educational Theology. He brought to this position a wealth of experience in education, having taught in schools or been Principal of them for a period of 35 years.

When he retired, it was written about him:

Mal's contribution to the education program at ALC was substantial. He was instrumental in negotiating a major expansion in the number of university campuses across Australia where students include ALC units of study (the Lutheran Strand) as part of their teaching degrees. Where there were three such campuses on his arrival at ALC, in 2007 there were eleven. He taught one of these units to undergraduate students and led workshops in schools in WA, SA and NSW in a postgraduate education unit, Lutheran Principles of Education.

Mal's research interest was in the history of Lutheran schooling in Australia and specifically the provision of teachers for the schools of the church, and he conducted a number of sessions on these themes at several staff retreats. He had a considerable influence on the ethos and tone of the college through his administrative skills, common-sense approach to life, and very importantly, his irrepressible sense of humour.

In his retirement, he moved back to Victoria to be closer to his children and his beloved St. Kilda.

ALC positions held

• Director of Educational Ministry, 2002–2007

Qualifications in detail

• Bachelor of Arts (University of Adelaide, 1965)
• Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) (Adelaide Teachers College, 1965)
• Master of Education Studies (Luther Seminary, 2001)

Papers and publications

2006

‘Mystery, challenge and the training of teachers for Lutheran schools in Australia.’ in Lutheran Theological Journal 40, no. 3 (Dec): 126-142.