OBITUARY

John Christian died on 09/05/2024.

John Christian was elected to the Academy as one of its Foundation Fellows in 1976. 

He was Chief of the CSIRO Division of Food Science and Technology from 1979 to 1986. He also served as Chairman of the International Commission for Microbiological Specifications for Foods from 1980 to 1991. 

Following studies at Knox Grammar School in the 1930s, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War 2 from 1943 to 1945. After the war, he received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Sydney, and then, in 1956, a PhD in Biochemistry from Cambridge University in England. 

He was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia in 1986 in recognition of his services to science, in particular microbiology. 

John spent his entire career at CSIRO starting as a Research Scientist in 1951 and continuing through the ranks until he became an Honorary Research Fellow in 1990. He was also a part-time lecturer throughout his career, including at the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Indonesia. 

As a Foundation Fellow of the Academy, his contributions spanned nearly 50 years. He spent several years on the ATSE Council, and was chair of the Membership Committee for more than 10 years. He was most recently a member of the Agriculture Forum from 2014 to 2024. 

He was married to his wife Helen for 66 years, and had five children, 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.