He is remembered for his gifted approach to students and now CDU multimedia lecturer Ronny Reinhard (pictured) is to be honoured with the creation of an annual award in his name.
The CDU Alice Springs community was saddened by the recent passing of Ronny, who was an inspiration to film students and a prominent figure in the central Australian community.
His commitment to teaching and recognising the achievements of his students extended to annual APE! Film Awards which are an important event in the local art calendar.
In recognition of his efforts, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Business and Arts, Dr Adrian Walter, has announced the creation of the Ronny Reinhard Show-Reel Award, given annually to the highest scoring CDU VET media student, as judged by industry figures and CDU lecturers.
The prize will be administered by the School of Creative Arts and Humanities.
The Head of the School, Professor Donal Fitzpatrick said Ronny's achievements were significant.
"Thanks to Ronny's encouragement and commitment, we have many ex-students working in film studios, and studying advanced film and media subjects throughout Australia," he said.
"This award acknowledges the big gap left by Ronny and he will be missed."
Ronny joined Centralian Senior Secondary College (CSSC), adjacent to CDU, in mid-2002 to take up a position lecturing in media and music studies to Indigenous students.
He then moved to the CDU art department and taught media studies to high school and VET students in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Groote Eylandt.
Ronny's “desert change” happened in 1998 when he, along with his family, moved to the community of Yuendumu from Melbourne to work as a media production and training coordinator.
He followed this with a stint with the Batchelor Institute as a lecturer in radio and video broadcasting and production.
Ronny also ran his own production company, Zeitgeist Films.
His achievements are seen in the awards and accolades of his students which include CSCC student Ronja Moss receiving a perfect score on her year 12 media studies last year and CDU VET students taking out 9 of 12 awards at the recent Outback Youth Film Awards.
CDU VET music lecturer and close friend of Ronny, Cain Gilmour reflected the thoughts of his co-workers and students.
"He was a modest and humble guy who had that true ability to bring out the best in people and we really owe a lot as a community to his contribution in the NT," he said.