Flinders University is sad to report that treasured colleague Dr Heather Brook passed away on Friday 9 August, following several years of living with cancer.

Dr Brook worked in Women’s Studies at Flinders from 2000 until 2018 and continued to hold academic status with the University.

She started her BA as a part-time, ‘slightly’ mature-aged student at Adelaide University, graduating with an Honours degree in politics after securing several prizes for being the top student in her year.

She was awarded a PhD in Politics from the Australian National University in 2000, and started work in Women’s Studies at Flinders in the same year.

Dr Brook was devoted to, and much loved by, the undergraduate students she taught and by those whose theses she supervised.

She was highly respected as a colleague for her integrity and dedication, and a much-admired feminist scholar. While chiefly known for her research on the regulation of personal relationships, she also published on her research into prisons and drugs, sexuality, and recently, on working-class academics and students drawing on her own experiences.

Dr Brook’s final book, The Cultural Politics of Contemporary Hollywood Film, was co-authored with her friend and colleague Chris Beasley and launched in September 2018. It explores how Hollywood movies generate and reflect political myths about social and personal life that influence how we understand power relations.

Playing music was one of her many pursuits, as was running. She completed the 2013 New York Marathon (42.2 km) in the early years of her journey with cancer, which was a highlight of her life. She raised money for the Jodi Lee Foundation which promotes awareness of bowel cancer.

A kind and generous individual, Dr Brook was identified as a warrior woman by friends and colleagues in all of her endeavours.

Details of her funeral will be notified in The Advertiser. All who knew her are welcome to attend.

Flinders University acknowledges her valuable contributions to her field and her students’ journeys, and expresses our condolences to Dr Brook’s family, friends and her colleagues.

For any staff members who personally knew or worked with Dr Brook and may be upset at the news of her death, please remember to seek assistance if needed. The University’s Employee Assistance Program is available.