Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to speak today in honour of the legendary contribution made by my constituent the revered and humble Professor Frank Fenner, who died on Monday at 95. Professor Fenner contributed to some of this country’s and the world’s greatest scientific achievements and he became an authority on extinction. He sent smallpox into oblivion, and the myxoma virus suppressed rabbit populations. Professor Fenner graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1938 and from medicine in 1942—both degrees from the University of Adelaide. He served with distinction as a captain and later a major in the Australian Army Medical Corps in Palestine, Egypt, New Guinea and Borneo. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his work in controlling malaria in World War II troops, which, like all his work, was a challenge. In an interview in 2003, Professor Fenner said: ‘One of the main jobs was to convince the officers to see that their troops took one tablet a day with Sunday off, and that prevented malaria in most of the campaigns. It was hard to get the troops to accept this because anything that you have to take they don’t like taking. It made you very yellow and the rumour went round that it made you impotent.’

In 1949, Professor Fenner was appointed Professor of Microbiology at the newly established John Curtin School of Medical Research here at the ANU, and it was here that he worked on the myxomatosis virus, which greatly reduced the rabbit population in Australia after devastating plagues. He famously joined his colleagues Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Ian Clunies-Ross in injecting himself with the virus to show the Australian public that myxomatosis was safe for humans. Perhaps his most significant contribution was as chair of the Global Commission for Certification of Smallpox Eradication, where he oversaw the eradication of smallpox—a major achievement. He said it was his proudest moment when in May 1980 he declared before the World Health Assembly that smallpox had been eradicated globally. Professor Fenner could very well have retired after his monumental contributions, but his passion for science and medicine meant he continued to make valuable contributions. He was recognised in 1989 with a Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2002 with the Prime Minister’s science award and in 2005 as Senior Australian of the Year.

In my first speech, I paid tribute to the many Canberrans who contribute so much to this country and ask little in return—what I call the invisible heroes. Professor Fenner was such a Canberran. He has been described as a rascal, an inspiration, a sage, a delight and a legend. He is survived by his daughter, Marilyn, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is also survived by a significant and life-changing legacy to humanity at the national and global level. I pay my respects to him and I pay tribute to him.

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