In Memory of Glenn Rhodes

Glenn was a passionate about elections, and equally passionate about sharing his passion with his students. Glenn enthusiastically embraced any opportunities he had to be a guest speaker at BRIDGE courses in Queensland – and inspired participants with both his knowledge (encompassing both a breadth and detailed understanding of how elections work), his skill in conveying complex topics, and his passion for the content. I was personally lucky to have studied one of the units of Glenn’s course (and witnessed first-hand his caring nature), and to have heard him speak at several BRIDGE courses (and couldn’t help but be inspired by his commitment to democratic governance and elections). Every time I asked whether he would like to volunteer his time to BRIDGE he said, without hesitation, ‘yes’. We spoke informally of possible further collaboration between his course and the BRIDGE course – but sadly, these conversations were not finished.

Glenn has left BRIDGE with many legacies – including the dozens of participants who were touched by his words, much of his material that has now been incorporated into the BRIDGE curriculum, and the idea that the small world of electoral administrators, managers and election course organisers can find ways to work together for the greater good of all.