Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet
Mac Burnet was one of the great Australian scientists. He was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1960 and Director of Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research 1944-65.
Events in 1999 celebrating the centenary of his birth:
- The Burnet and Florey Tram - fitted out September 1998. Signage and information about Burnet was placed alongside that of Sir Howard Florey on a Melbourne City Circle Tram.
- The Burnet Centenary Lecture - Wednesday, 5 May 1999. This special lecture was delivered by Professor Sir Gustav Nossal at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research to staff, friends and members of the Burnet family. Further information can be found at www.wehi.edu.au/bios/burnet/index.html. This lecture was first delivered at the 20th Daniel Mannix Lecture organised by the students of Newman College, University of Melbourne. It was subsequently published in Eureka Street, Volume 9 Nymber 7 September 1999, pp. 22-27. Further information about Eureka Street can be found online at www.openplanet.com.au/content/eureka.
- Tall Poppies Dinner - 27 May 1999. At the Palladium Ballroom, Crown Entertainment Centre, Melbourne and organised by the Australian Institute of Political Science, celebrating the centenaries of the birth of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Dame Jean Macnamara and Sir Ian Clunies Ross.
- Launch of Burnet Biography - Thursday, 18th July 1999. A new edition of Christopher Sexton's biography of Burnet, Burnet: A Life, Oxford University Press, Melbourne was launched at the Melbourne Town Hall. It was first published as The Seeds of Time: The Life of Sir Macfarlane Burnet in 1991.
- Immunology and Virology Centenary Symposium - 3-5 August 1999. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, together with the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, the Australian Society of Microbiology and the Australian Society for Immunology hosted this important symposium at the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne.
- Burnet Bushland Circuit - September 1999. The State Government and Parks Victoria dedicated to Burnet a new nature trail in the Yarra Bend Park, Kew, Victoria. A resident of Kew, Burnet used to walk in this park, pursuing his life long interest in natural history. For further information about the Yarra Bend Park online go to www.parks.vic.gov.au/f_parks.htm and follow the links to Yarra Bend Park.
- Burnet's Legacy - 2-17 September 1999. An exhibition celebrating the centenary of the birth of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet (1899-1985) at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
- A Broader Vision - 2 September to 24 October 1999. An exhibition of artworks and objects based around the careers of Mac Burnet, Jean Macnamara and Ian Clunies Ross at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Three portraits, three photographs, a bronze medal and Burnet's annotated copy of Australian Insects by W.W. Froggatt were on display. To visit the exhibition online go to www.portrait.gov.au/november/exhibit/vision/vision.htm.
- The Burnet Centenary Year - distributed October 1999. This was a feature section of Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Annual Report 1998-1999. The section includes a summary of Institutes initiatives of the centenary year, "A Personal Tribute" by Sir Gustav Nossal and "The Scientific Achievements and Legacy of Frank Macfarlane Burnet" by Frank Fenner. The Annual Report can be found online at www.wehi.edu.au/annual_reports/annrep98_99/.
- Burnet Centenary Symposium - 12-14 October 1999. This symposium, titled Q Fever: An Australian Discovery of Worldwide Importance was held at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane. It brought together distinguished scientiists in Q Fever research, immunology and infectious diseases.
Take a look at his Encyclopedia of Australian Science entry to find out more about his life and contribution to Australian science and the general community, as well as links to other resources, available both online and offline.
