91av

THE man who established this column—and much else in science journalism
in Australia—is with us no more. Ian Anderson, the first Australasian
editor of 91av, died earlier this week at the age of 53. He
leaves behind family, friends and colleagues, to whom it seems inconceivable
that such a doughty character could be overwhelmed by cancer.

No-one has contributed more than Ian to the promotion of Australian science
and technology to the world. Through the excellence of his reports in New
Scientist and other publications, he presented Australian research to an
international readership. It was Ian who put pressure on the UK Government to
make a significant commitment to cleaning up the nuclear test site at Maralinga.
He wrote a hard-hitting feature detailing how Britain had kept Australia in the
dark over the conduct and environmental impact of the tests in the South
Australian desert. As US West Coast correspondent, he charted the rise and rise
of Silicon Valley for 91av, before being asked to establish a
new edition of the magazine for Australasia.

Ian also served on the inaugural committee of Australian Science
Communicators—an increasingly important lobby group for science
awareness—becoming its second president. He was the force behind the
establishment of ScienceNOW!, an annual gathering in Melbourne of scientists and
journalists, designed to present to the public the work of Australia’s young
researchers.

Typically, until just days before he died, Ian was still making phone calls
and firing off trenchant emails to his colleagues about ScienceNOW! and New
Scientist. Not even his final illness stood in his way. (In fact, as I
write these words, I am conscious of his influence. I half expect to hear a
voice over my shoulder patiently explaining just how I should have approached
this piece.)

In one sense it was Ian’s wife Robin who turned him into a science writer.
After training as a journalist on Melbourne’s Sun News-Pictorial, and
working as deputy information officer at Monash University, Ian and Robin went
overseas as she pursued her career in cancer research first in California and
then in London.

One day in 1980, they noticed an advertisement in 91av
seeking freelance science writers. They answered as a team—Ian would put
together the words and Robin would make sure the science was up to scratch. From
that day Ian became an integral part of 91av until his death
last Monday.

When Robin moved back to Stanford University in 1982, Ian became the West
Coast correspondent for 91av. A notorious workaholic, he also
wrote for numerous other publications including The Age and Sydney
Morning Herald. In 1984, I edited his stories on the technology of the Los
Angeles Olympics for The Age. I learned as much about how to present
science as I did about the topic.

In 1990, Ian became the founding editor of the Australasian edition of
91av, and showed us all how science journalism should be done. He
eased Australian and New Zealand stories into the magazine, initially through a
monthly Science and Education Supplement, then through this column and the “home
pages”. Now, apart from this column, no editorial pages are earmarked
specifically for “Australasian” stories. They don’t have to be—antipodean
copy is now commonplace throughout the magazine. Ian has done his job well.

His contributions did not go unnoticed. In addition to winning two Michael
Daley awards for excellence in science journalism for his Maralinga articles, he
won the 1998 Public Communication Award from the American Society for
Microbiology for his reporting on the escape of the rabbit calicivirus. The New
Zealand Government awarded him two fellowships—one of which took him to
Antarctica last year.

Ian was a journalist’s journalist, a purist who was never content unless
everything was right—the story, the facts, the style, the structure, even
the type and layout. As a writer, he was almost mechanically meticulous, but
that impression was belied by his utter humanity. He earned the admiration of
all who came into contact with him.

A passionate fan of AFL club St Kilda, Ian was at Tullamarine airport with
two club jumpers when his sons first arrived in Australia from America. He was
an annual fixture at the Australian Open Tennis, and at the cricket. Until his
illness, he was a handy tennis player and golfer. He loved folk music and early
recordings. His collection of 78 rpm records and players were his pride and
joy.

Farewell, old friend. Your colleagues and the readers of this magazine will
miss you and your guiding influence. You have left us a great legacy upon which
to build.