When Peter Fensham was appointed to the new Chair of Science Education at Monash University in 1967 he was the first Professor of Science Education in Australia, and, we think, may well have been the first such professor anywhere in the world outside USA. Over the subsequent 40+ years he has made/still makes remarkable and diverse contributions to science education research and practice, both within Australia and internationally (in, it seems, every "corner" of the globe). As founder of ASERA and of science education research in Australia, Peter is clearly the most obvious and central Key Figure to include in this special issue of CSSE about the Australasian Science Education Research Association.