The Sunday Times, Perth
[Blurbe:] David Rindos rocked the University of WA by refusing to accept its 1993 decision to refuse him tenure. JOE POPRZECZNY reports on the academics fight to get his job back until his untimely death this week.
David Rindos always knew it was going to be a David and Goliath battle.
The internationally known, unemployed archaeologist died this week with less than $1300 in his credit union account after the University of WA refused to grant him tenure.
UWA claimed his research output was inadequate.
Dr Rindos had been working in the UWA's archaeology department when he clashed with its unorthodox head, Professor Sandra Bowdler, and was shown the door soon after.
UWA's Chancellor is Supreme Court Judge Geoffrey Kennedy and its Vice-Chancellor is Professor Fay Gale.
At the time he lost his job, UWA's senate included two other Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice David Malcolm, as well as business tycoons Harold Clough and Janet Holmes a Court.
UWA called on the best legal brains to take on Dr Rindos, 49, in the Industrial Commission, then before the State Ombudsman, and later, during a parliamentary inquiry.
UWA can and often does use public relations experts and media friends to put its case.
WHen refused tenure in 1993, Dr Rindos only had a handful of backers who believed he had been unfairly treated. Since then this group has grown and includes Cambridge academic Professor Lord Renfrew.
UWA wrongly assumed Dr Rindos would just pack his bags and fly home to America after he was refused tenure but he quickly proved them wrong.
He was a dogged fighter and scored many victories, including rulings from the Freedom of Information Commissioner over UWA's experts.
When he reached UWA in 1989, acclaimed by his peers as brilliant, he never realised he would be forced to spend the last four years of his life battling UWA to continue his chosen career.
He spent most of his time in his Wembley home, poring over documents to try to strengthen his case for reinstatement.
The author of the highly acclaimed book, The Origins of Agriculture, Dr Rindos' problems began when he and students gave evidence at a 1991 review of the archaeology department.
It resulted in the department being scrapped and merged with anthropology.
Dr Rindos lost his job soon after and was not reinstated, despite a later report on the saga by Professors Stan Hotop and Doug Clyde which vindicated him.
He always argued that the problems within archaeology were not of his making and had been festering before he reached Perth.
When he joined the dole queue he immediately turned to WA's new Freedom of Information ACt to get crucial details about his case.
This year Parliament stepped into the long drawn-out encounter and launched an inquiry. It is expected to be completed in the New Year.
UWA Senators learnt of Dr Rindos' death during their Christmas dinner when a journalist from another publication went to UWA on Monday night and told an adminsitrator at the dinner. Judge Kennedy then broke the news to the partying group.