C Warren Bonython AO
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+ 86 OBITUARIES 24-hour news updates adelaidenow.com.au RFDS pilot Pioneer in radio dedicated to helping and rocket trails community Robert George Roper DSc the US, being naturalised as a US citizen in Brenton Leonard (Farmer) Hissey Wind physicist 1976. In Georgia he continued profiling the Farmer and Pilot Born: April 30, 1933; Adelaide upper atmosphere. He helped develop the Born: September 29, 1958; Wudinna Died: February 28, 2012; Atlanta, US Shuttle-booster recovery model, which is Died: April 29, 2012; Port Augusta now being adapted for the recovery of objects returning from space missions. PUB: OBERT Roper, who spent much of In his last decade his research interest was RENTON Hissey was an Eyre his life on crutches, made significant in three-dimensional profiling of upper- Peninsula wheat and sheep farmer contributions to the understanding atmosphere movements, comparing his life- before becoming a respected pilot. of lower and upper atmosphere wind times experimental results with imaging He was one of three children born ADVERTISER R B physics in Australia and the US. doppler interferometry. to Elizabeth (Jean) and Len Hissey and He was born to George and Kitty and grew He presented research papers across the raised in Yaninee. up in Adelaides western suburbs, except for US and in at least 17 other countries, Brenton attended Wudinna Area School five years at primary school in New Zealand maintaining science links with iron curtain before forsaking the later years of schooling during the war years. countries during the Cold War. He was to work on the family farm. At Woodville High he was a keen sports- honoured with a DSc from Karkov State He always played an active part in his man, Kings Scout, head prefect and earned University, Ukraine, in 1997 and from the community, wherever he found himself. a leaving bursary. His world changed in the University of Adelaide in 2008. He was a volunteer for St John Ambulance summer holidays of 1949-50 when he contrac- He was also a passionate educationalist, and a keen member of Yaninee and Wudinna- ted polio. He was paralysed in both legs and winning awards for undergraduate and gradu- United Football Clubs, a lively contributor spent a year at the Northfield Infectious ate teaching. He presented programs at to the camaraderie while serving as a trainer Diseases Hospital followed by a year of schools in Georgia to persuade students to to the teams. convalescence at home. For the next 52 years plan careers in science and engineering. He Always committed to ensuring the future 26/5/12 he walked on crutches, and for the last eight was made a professor emeritus at Georgia security of his family, Brenton grasped the years of his life he was in a wheelchair. Tech on his official retirement in 1999. opportunity to develop an interest into a At home he developed a keen interest in From 1979 to 1987 he was president of the career by studying to attain his commercial amateur radio, and one of his challenges was analysed upper-atmosphere air movements International Association of Meteorology and pilots licence. 86 to broadcast to other hams while on the move, using the radar tracking of meteor trails. Later Atmospheric Physics International Commis- Moving into aviation saw him christened calling over the noise of the engine while he would use this expertise to study wind sion on the Meteorology of the Upper Atmos- with a new nickname. installed in the sidecar of a motorbike. turbulence from rocket trails. phere. He was co-chairman of GLOBMET, Farmer Hissey was first employed by STATE Radio led to physics, although he could only Bob met and courted primary school the Global Meteor Observation Project, from Whyalla Airlines and strongly promoted make it to the stairs-free subjects until he teacher Claire Henderson while at university, 1982 to 1990. mastered the stairs. He followed up his degree and their life-long partnership saw them He was entertaining, and quick-witted. with a PhD in radio physics. His physics married for 53 years, with four children. His younger brother John, who had earlier professor, Sir Leonard Huxley, said that as They shared a strong Christian faith and survived a heart attack, travelled from a radio amateur he should work with the Claire helped make Bobs globetrotting Adelaide to pay a surprise visit to Atlanta newly established Radio Meteor Group. science career possible. in 2008 for the celebrations of Bob and He designed and built the radio equipment, He went to Washington in 1964 and was Claires 50th wedding anniversary. installed at St Kilda, north of Adelaide, attached to the NASA space program, work- He sat down unnoticed next to Bob, who to receive radar data bounced back from ing on satellite trajectories between the turned to see who was there. After an intake COL: the atmosphere. atmosphere and space. He was a visiting of breath, his first words were: Theres At first each 10 days of results took six professor at Georgia Institute of Technology nothing wrong with my heart, young man. months to process on a calculator, but when before returning to Adelaide to work for three He is survived by Claire and three of his C the (now) DSTO installed a new-fangled IBM years for the DSTO. four children, Geoffrey, David and Carolyn, M 7090 computer in 1960 he was able to use In 1969 he was invited back to Georgia Tech and two grandchildren. Paul, the eldest, it to speed up his calculations. His PhD and moved with his family permanently to died in a car crash in 1980. Y K READER CONTRIBUTIONS: Readers are invited to contribute obituaries. These should include dates of birth and death, and a photograph. Contributions must also include the author’s telephone contact details. SEND TO: Tim Lloyd, Obituaries, The Advertiser, GPO Box 339, Adelaide 5001. PHONE (08) 8206 2279 FAX (08) 8206 3669 E-MAIL [email protected] Joy in every walk of life the opportunity to fly in the Wudinna and Cleve communities. Charles Warren Bonython AO backpack. He was a founding member of the In 1996, he joined the Royal Flying Doctor Explorer, founder of the Heysen Trail National Parks Foundation (later Nature Service (RFDS) and began flying operations Born: September 11, 1916; Adelaide Foundation), president of the Royal Geo- from the Alice Springs RFDS Base. Died: April 2, 2012; Adelaide graphical Society (SA Branch) from 1959 to Soon after, Brenton transferred to the Port 1961 and was instrumental in establishing the Augusta RFDS Base and served there for Heysen Trail, the walking trail extending more than five years before returning to the ARREN Bonython was a conser- 1200 km from the northern Flinders Ranges Alice Springs Base to take up the role of vationist, explorer, author and to Cape Jervis. Senior Base Pilot. chemical engineer, who exerted a He was made an Officer of the Order of Loved and respected by his RFDS W great influence on heritage and Australia in 1980 in recognition of his services colleagues, Brenton gave more than 15 years conservation in South Australia. He died, to conservation. In 1990 he was made Aus- committed service to the RFDS. aged 95, after a short illness. tralian Geographics Adventurer of the Year. He will be remembered as a loyal and Terry Krieg, a long-time friend and walking He was at different times president of the dedicated employee who never failed to companion, paid tribute to Warrens sense of Scientific Expedition Group, National Trust display complete devotion to his work. direction when, in 1982, they became the first of SA and the Conservation Council of Typical of his dedication and passion for white men to walk 500km around Lake Eyre. SA and held many other offices in state the community and his work is a day in 2007 He said in those days before satellites and and national organisations, including as when a major road accident 370km from Alice GPS, Warren found his cache of water in a a member of the Australian Heritage Springs on the Uluru road required multiple desert area with no obvious land marks. Commission for 15 years. ambulance crews and RFDS aircraft. Warren trained at the University of Adel- His trekking activities extended well be- After dodging thunderstorms in the search aide as a chemical engineer, then went to yond Australia and included Mt Kilimanjaro, for a suitable airstrip, the first RFDS aircraft London for postgraduate work. which he climbed at the age of 75, the Scottish picked up two of the injured from an He had to leave the UK in 1939 because highlands and Lo Manthang in the Himalayas. ambulance at the Curtin Springs airstrip. of the outbreak of war, arriving home at the He trained regularly and vigorously with A second aircraft was busy with a difficult time of the death of his grandfather, Sir timed walks that stretched from Waterfall birth in Tennant Creek, so Brenton was called Langdon Bonython, a former owner of The Gully to Mt Lofty summit and back, in later in on his day off to fly a third aircraft to Curtin Advertiser and a participant in negotiations was able to concentrate on his passions – a years allowing himself an extra minute Springs to pick up the third accident victim. which led to the Federation of Australia. His love of the outdoors, bushwalking, explo- per extra year of his age. Away from the Flying Doctor Service, father was Sir John Bonython and his siblings ration and conservation. Warren and Bunty were married for 71 Brenton enjoyed his annual fishing trip to included the late Kym Bonython.