Working for people you admire 11 Nov 200818 Sep 2017 Right now on the Australian ABC network they are reshowing a program that was first shown in April this year on Professor Sir Gustav Nossal AO [and a three line slew of fruit salad of awards, qualifications, and honours]. The transcript is here, but it doesn’t do justice to the man himself. Gus, as he likes to be called, is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met, and the one who I count working for as a great honour, when I was the communications manager at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, where I worked while I did my PhD, for ten years (the PhD took six). He discovered monoclonal antibodies, while working to establish Burnet’s theory of clonal selection, and after retirement worked to deliver aboriginal reconciliation. More than any other “white” man, he was the one who was responsible for that. Gus has an amazing ability to remember every person he has ever met, their family’s names, and circumstances. When the wife of a security guard at the adjacent Royal Melbourne Hospital died, Gus was at the funeral. He was the only management member there. He was the only one who knew. He is one of the few people who I think is wholly admirable. The two years he was director while I was there, and the eight years after when I spent as much time doing work for him as I did when he hadn’t retired, were the best of my pre-academic life. Who do you admire who you worked for? General Science History
Creationism and Intelligent Design Objecting to the prevailing tide 12 Jun 2009 My friend and costudent of Gareth Nelson, Malte Ebach, persists in his campaign to bring some clarity to evolutionary and systematics thinking. I may not always agree with him, but he’s often clearer on these matters than his targets, so I refer you to his recent post on paraphyletic thinking…. Read More
Administrative Travel Diary 13: Berkeley talk 6 Nov 2009 Well, yet again I have utterly utterly failed to embarrass my university by making an idiot of myself in public. In short, the talk (on the Essentialism Myth) to the Vertebrate Zoology crowd at Berkeley went very well I am told. I believe them because instead of sending me on… Read More
Biology It was 150 years ago tomorrow 23 Nov 2009 … Sergeant Pepper… oops, sorry, wrong theme. 150 years ago tomorrow, people suddenly became smart, observant and able to understand the world. Right? Right? Well, look, I have enormous respect for Darwin, and I think the Origin is a cool and interesting book, but really, no. People were working on… Read More
You already have a job, Jason. No need to brownnose 😉 I didn’t say Gus was the only guys I worked for that I admire.
You already have a job, Jason. No need to brownnose 😉 I didn’t say Gus was the only guys I worked for that I admire.
I’m lucky to currently work for someone I admire. He’s an ex-military police commander, and a better diplomat, or more compassionate human being, you will not find.
I never worked for him directly, but I nominate Richard Woolcott, now (though well into his 70s) reemerging as Rudd’s envoy to persuade the region to consider creating a new supra-regional organisation. He has amazing diplomatic skills, an ability to relate to almost anyone, and was widely respected and liked in the region. After retirement Woolcott became increasingly vocal (in his moderate and polite way) about the Howard government’s (mis)behaviour, its disregard of the rule of law and civil rights, and the damage it was doing to Australia’s international image.