Sybe came from Groningen, in the Netherlands, to Australia in 1953. He began teaching at Mt Lawley Teachers’ College in 1971. Sybe bravely volunteered to teach Education at the partially completed Joondalup campus and gave the first lecture there on the 23rd July, 1984.
At that stage there were only two buildings surrounded by bushland, complete with kangaroos. It was an ordeal to walk to the car in pitch darkness, then drive through narrow roads through the rain and over the many potholes.
The Joondalup campus was not completed until 1987. You can hear more about the early days of Joondalup from Sybe by listening to his talk.