OBITUARY

Alan Donald died on 23/04/2020.

Born in 1933, Dr Alan Donald completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney in 1956 and his PhD at the University of Bristol in 1966.

He led a highly successful research program which developed better disease control methods and applied that research in collaboration with industry and state Departments of Agriculture.

Dr Donald was well known internationally for his substantial contributions to human knowledge of the population biology of parasitic worms. His research on the epidemiology and control of parasitic disease in sheep and cattle improved the productivity of the agriculture industry and alleviated the suffering of livestock.

Dr Donald held a number of leadership roles in CSIRO, serving as Chief of the Division of Animal Health (1983-86), Acting Director of the Institute of Animal and Food Sciences (1987-88), and Director of the CSIRO Institute of Animal Production & Processing (1988-1994).

He also chaired a number important bodies, including the Australian Animal Health Council (1995-1998) and the NSW Standing Disease Control Advisory Committee (1999-2004). In all of these positions he fostered industrially valuable strategic research which he carried through to successful applications.

Dr Donald was elected to the Fellowship in 1988, and was a valued member of the NSW Division. In 1991 he became a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to primary industry in the field of animal health.

Dr Alan Donald died on 23 April 2020, aged 86. He is survived by his wife Jane, six children and two grandchildren.