It's pretty safe to say that Maureen is a woman who truly loves her job.
"I actually love it so much that I thought I wouldn't survive retirement and so I went to my then head of department and asked if I could do another year, even though I'm 65."
"He said yes but he also added he wanted to make it clear that at the end of this time there won't be anymore," Maureen laughs.
Maureen Bettle is a much revered former convenor of the Creative writing and literary studies at the University of Canberra.
These days she is a sessional tutor, and still inspires students daily.
Maureen has realised that what she loves about the job of teaching literary studies is having people to talk to about books and seeing them sometimes struggle against the stories, but then sometimes start to like them.
"It's just been so interesting for me," Maureen muses.
"I think reading can be a long conversation."
While the love of reading might not have come from her parents, the love of stories was passed on from her mother.
Maureen's mother left school very early and while she wasn't a confident reader, she loved stories.
"She would have loved Talking books," says Maureen.
When Maureen was studying English at Cambridge, she and her mother would talk about the books that were part of the degree, mostly when her mother was doing the ironing.
This love of talking about books, turned into a love of teaching for books.
Maureen first began teaching at University of New England in Armidale, which was where she first lived when she and her husband moved to Australia.
Her husband went and asked the professors if they wanted anyone to do a little bit of teaching and mentioned Maureen had a degree.
"The professor said 'Oh what sort of degree' and my husband said 'A Cambridge degree' and he said 'Oh well could she start tomorrow!'"
Maureen has been described as one of the most gifted lecturers, and often works without notes.
"It's often fuelled by panic and adrenalin, but if you don't have notes, you can then look at someone's face" Maureen explains.
Maureen said at first she found lecturing very frightening.
Now she has learnt to make it a performance.
"What I used to do, when I was doing it a lot, was drive into work talking it through to myself in little blocks, and then it seems to be a performative thing."
There is one lecture that everybody remembers says Maureen.
"People who were at it still bump into me and say 'Do you remember that lecture?'"
It was lecture on the play 'Waiting for Godot.'
"I came in and said nothing for about 40mins," Maureen laughs.
Maureen put notes on the screen for the confused students, but just stood there staying nothing.
"And then I got Jen Webb to ring me on my mobile and I said 'Oh Godot you've come' and then I ran out of the room!"
Maureen says that lecture was one she was very scared about!
Maureen Bettle may love stories, but her own story is one that many will enjoy.
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