Fellows' biographical memoirs

Athel Beckwith was an organic chemist whose research was concerned with free radicals, the reactive intermediates that play important roles in many organic chemical reactions. After studies and junior appointments at Australian universities, at Oxford University he worked with W. A. Waters and completed his doctorate at a time when scepticism about the very existence of free radicals was being rolled back by a small group of experimentalists.

Bede Morris was born in Sydney on 10 June 1927, the younger of two sons of Grainger and Evelyn Morris. During his school days, Bede was a choir boy at St Paul's Church. He also played several sports with great enthusiasm and, as with most things, worked hard to achieve a standard of excellence which satisfied him.

Bernhard Hermann Neumann was born and educated in Berlin. He held doctorates from Berlin and Cambridge, and mathematical positions at universities in Cardiff, Hull, Manchester, and the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. Whereas his move to the UK in 1933 was a result of the difficulties he faced as a Jew in finding employment in Germany, his move to Australia in 1962 was to set up a new research Department of Mathematics at the Institute of Advanced Studies at the ANU.

In a half-century involvement in radio astronomy, Brian Robinson achieved international recognition and received many honours. During a forty-year career at CSIRO Division of Radiophysics, he undertook leading research, headed the Astrophysics Group, and contributed significantly in the Australia Telescope planning and funding campaign. Internationally, he distinguished himself in radio astronomy committees and negotiations to protect radio astronomy observations from interference from telecommunication transmissions.

Chris made an outstanding contribution to probability theory and its applications. He received considerable recognition, including Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science and of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, as well as Membership of the Order of Australia.

Christopher John Ash was born on 5 January 1945 at Gorleston, a seaside town adjoining Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. He was an only child. His father, Kenneth William Ash, was the middle of three brothers. The elder brother was a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force who worked on rocket research and the younger was a Captain in the Merchant Navy. Chris’s father was Borough Engineer at Redcar on the North Yorkshire coast. His mother was Joan Evelyn Hadley, who worked at a Quaker school.

Colin Russell Austin, English by birth, initially graduated in Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney in 1936. The Second World War limited his career options, but he was fortunate to be employed by the CSIRO Division of Animal Health in Sydney. In 1954 he was invited to join the staff of the Medical Research Council’s laboratory in Mill Hill, London to study fertilization and early embryonic development in rats and rabbits.

Science, and the attempt to develop the academic standards of Australian universities, were the interests that dominated Dorothy Hill’s life. We refer not only to scientific endeavours as undertaken by herself and her colleagues, but also to basic approaches to administrative, commercial, educational and personal aspects of her life.

Doug Waterhouse was a renowned entomologist, a fine scientist and an accomplished administrator. He worked within the CSIRO Division of Entomology for over 60 years, and was its Chief for 21 years until his retirement in 1981. Doug was responsible for many developments in insect and weed control both in Australia and around the globe, especially in developing countries across Asia and the Pacific.

Douglas Geoffrey Lampard was born in Sydney on 4 May 1927 at the Royal Women's Hospital, Paddington. He was the only child of Edward Geoffrey Lampard and Violet Evangeline Lampard, née Moxon. Both of Doug's parents were the children of Anglican clergy, his father being the son of Archdeacon Lampard, of Lismore, and his mother the daughter of Archdeacon Moxon, of Grafton.