OBITUARY

Alex Buchanan died on 25/10/2022.

Alex was elected as a Fellow of our Academy in 1985, and during his time he was an active member of our ATSE Council from 1996 to 1999. He was Executive Director of the Crawford Fund from 1995 to 1999. He was also a member of the ATSE Membership Committee and Agriculture Forum. Alex was an active member of our Academy, and we are sincerely grateful for his involvement.

Alex had a distinguished career in the dairy industry and CSIRO, and achieved spectacular success in promoting cooperation between applied scientists in SE Asia under the umbrella of the ASEAN-Australia Economic Cooperation Program. In 2003, Alex received the Australian Government’s Centenary Medal ‘for service to Australian society in food science and technology’. He then received the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2009 for service to food science and technology, particularly through research supporting aid programs in the South-East Asia region, and to the community.

From a report on his honour, it was noted that his research led to improvements in food production to support developing nations and emergency relief activities.

Among Alex’s accomplishments were the development of the Australian milk biscuit, a high-protein biscuit used by the Australian government and many Rotary clubs for emergency food aid, and the creation of affordable, nutritionally balanced infant food for health centres in Thailand. Alex also helped implement the first successful cooperative food research projects between Australia and the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

A devoted Rotarian, Alex helped to manage Rotary’s Royce and Jean Abbey Endowment Fund and had been awarded the 2008–09 Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award. The award was created to honour outstanding former foundation program participants whose extraordinary service to humanity and professional achievements exemplify the Rotary ideal of ‘service above self’. 

Dr Buchanan is an internationally respected food technologist. In CSIRO he developed the milk biscuit which has been produced commercially in Australia and Zambia.

On secondment in Thailand he developed from indigenous raw materials a dry pre-cooked, high-protein food suitable for children and adults.
This, too, has been produced commercially.

However, his major contribution has probably been his spectacular success in promoting and catalysing co-operation between scientists and technologists in all the ASEAN countries under the umbrella of the Australia-ASEAN Economic Co-operation Programme and especially in the ASEAN Protein, Food Handling, Food Waste Materials and Food Technology R &D Projects.

In 1984 his liaison duties covered twenty projects with an annual budget of $A 13 000 000. The growth and success of these various food tech­nology initiatives is due very largely to Buchanan's skill and leadership.