Who’s Who in 2022, Community: Dr Calvin and Rosemary Irons

Two mathematics teachers announced their plans to build a new Mathematics Gallery at Ocean View, which will be a boost for tourism and education in the Moreton Bay Region.

Construction of the gallery, which will be owned by Dr Calvin and Rosemary Irons, began in mid-2022.

Speaking to Moreton Daily in July, Dr Calvin said he and his wife, who both taught at QUT for more than three decades, wanted to share their love of mathematics with the wider community.

“As mathematics educators, Rosemary and I want everyone to enjoy learning about mathematics. Mathematics is ever-evolving, and new ideas are constantly created in our modern world,” Dr Calvin said.

“We aim to create a learning experience that is accessible to young children in primary school as well as adults and people with an interest in high level mathematics.

“Our intention for the exhibits and activities are to be enjoyable, challenging in a fun way and most importantly be accessible to a wide audience.

“We hope visitors can walk away from an experience at the gallery thinking ‘wow I did not realise that was what mathematics is all about’.

About Dr Calvin and Rosemary Irons

Dr Calvin and Rosemary Irons are the owners of the Mathematics Gallery at Ocean View.

The husband-and-wife duo has a long-standing background in education, with Calvin having earned a BA, MA and PHD in mathematics, and Rosemary a BS and MA.

The couple studied and taught in multiple states in the United States, including Hawaii, Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana.

They met in Indiana and when they moved to Australia, they took up teaching positions with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for more than three decades.

In addition, they have also written and published more than 600 books for school children.

Throughout their academic lives, the pair has built up an impressive collection of mathematical artefacts, artworks, books and more.

With no children of their own, and no one to inherit their thousands of books about mathematics, they decided they wanted to share their collection with the community so it would be appreciated for years to come.

The idea to build the Mathematics Gallery first came to them in 2017.

In February 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Calvin and Rosemary met with a designer to go over the plans for the building, which is located next to the Ocean View Estates Winery.

Construction began in mid-2022.

The couple chose to build the gallery in Ocean View because they bought two parcels of land at the location in 1993.

It is their aim that local school children and the public will come and see the artifacts, artworks, books and interactive digital displays.

There are also hands-on activities such as workshops and games where visitors can test their brains.