Fellows' biographical memoirs

Robert Gerard (Gerry) Wake had a long and distinguished academic career in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Sydney.

Robert Gordon Menzies was born on 20 December 1894 in the country town of Jeparit in the State of Victoria, Australia. By the brilliance of his intellect he won the scholarships that enabled him to qualify with distinction as a barrister, and to be called to the Victorian Bar. He abandoned the successful professional practice of the law to devote the greater part of his life to a political career, first in his own State, but later in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Robert Hanbury Brown was born on 31 August 1916 in Aruvankadu, Nilgiri Hills, South India; son of an Officer in the Indian Army, Col. Basil Hanbury Brown, and of Joyce Blaker. From the age of three Hanbury was educated in England, initially at a School in Bexhill and then from the age of eight to fourteen at the Cottesmore Preparatory School in Hove, Sussex. In 1930 he entered Tonbridge School as a Judde scholar in classics.

Bob Symons died in Adelaide on 4 October 2006 after a long illness. He was distinguished through his contributions to our knowledge of the structure, function and replication of plant viruses, viroids and virusoids. His research culminated in the discovery of the hammerhead folding of the RNA chain and its role as a ribozyme in self-cleavage of the RNA in some of these plant pathogens. He was a leader in his field and was responsible for commercial applications of his research and the establishment in Adelaide of the first Australian company to produce and market molecular biologicals for research.

Professor Rob Sutherland pioneered the application of molecular and cellular biology approaches to translate research discoveries into cancer treatment regimes.

Professor Bob Street AO FAA was a physicist who studied the magnetic properties of materials. He was a dedicated science communicator and an influential figure in higher education administration.

Bob Bilger FAA FTSE was an engineer whose insightful experiments, theory and modelling advanced combustion chemistry and fluid mechanics.

Robert (Bob) Crompton was a towering figure in low energy electron and ion physics in Australia and internationally.

Rod Rickards was an organic chemist who made outstanding contributions to research on a wide range of compounds of medical, biological, agricultural and veterinary importance.

Professor Ron Brown FAA was a chemist who made contributions spanning spectroscopy, theoretical chemistry, astronomy, and molecules and life in space. He discovered the tricarbon monoxide and propadienone molecules, and was the founder of the chemisty department at Monash University.