Fellows' biographical memoirs

Professor Spencer Smith-White was a botanist who pioneered the study of cell physiology in Australian plants.

Stuart Ross Taylor made fundamental contributions toward understanding the composition and evolution of the Moon and Earth, the origin of tektites and solar system evolution.

This short memoir of Sir Sydney Sunderland is based on autobiographical information assembled by Sir Sydney, on a number of informal discussions the author had with him during the last five years of his life, and on the more accessible public documentation of his many activities associated with the University of Melbourne and the Federal and State Governments. In these notes I am more concerned with providing a picture of the kind of man Sydney Sunderland was, his science, and his contributions to Australian universities and to the community, than with presenting exhaustive detail of his many achievements.

Professor Thomas 'Grif' Taylor FAA was a geographer, anthropologist and Antarctic explorer.

Sir Thomas Cherry FAA FRS was a mathematician with enduring contributions to education, research and scientific leadership. He was a Foundation Fellow of the Academy and served as President 1961–4.

Professor Victor Bailey FAA was known for his work in ionospheric physics, population dynamics, and as an early pioneer of plasma physics.

Professor Victor Trikojus CBE FAA was a biochemist who made important discoveries about the biochemistry and physiology of the thyroid. He modernised Australian biochemistry research and transformed the University of Melbourne into a place of research, postgraduate education and international exchange.

Walter Boas was born in Berlin on 10 February 1904 and was the only child of Adele (née Reiche) and Arthur Boas. His death on 12 May 1982, after a short illness, came as a shock to a very large number of friends and colleagues in the scientific, university, metallurgical and engineering communities. To all these communities, Walter Boas had made outstanding contributions since his arrival in Australia in 1938.

Professor Walter Waterhouse CMG MC FAA was an an agricultural scientist who revolutionised Australian wheat farming by breeding rust-resistant, high-yield varieties.

Professor Walter Macfarlane FAA was a physiologist whose work spanned an extraordinary range of fields – from parasitology to clinical medicine to desert adaptation.