OBITUARY

Mike Rickard died on 25/6/2019.

Professor Michael “Mike” Rickard FTSE was a veterinary immunoparasitologist whose outstanding scientific and leadership achievements had a profound impact on animal welfare.

Born in 1941, he graduated from the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland in 1963. He completed his PhD on in 1967 and was awarded the higher degree of Doctor of Veterinary Science by Thesis from the University of Melbourne in 1979.

Professor Rickard lectured in veterinary parasitology at Massey University from 1967 to 1969, when he became Reader in Veterinary Parasitology at the University of Melbourne – a role he held for 20 years.

From 1989 till 2001 he was Chief of the Division of Animal Health at the CSIRO. After retiring from the CSIRO he continued working for animal welfare in the research and teaching sector, and was Chair of the Board of the Animal Welfare Science Centre.

Professor Rickard worked with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and had a powerful impact on the development of animal health policies in Australia.

He won international acclaim for developing and commercialising a highly effective vaccine to protect sheep against parasite infection. This is widely recognised as a milestone in the veterinary parasitology, and led to a generation of similar vaccines.

Professor Rickard received many honours, including the Australian Veterinary Association’s Gilruth Prize and the Bancroft-Mackerras Medal from the Australian Society for Parasitology. He published more than 110 research papers and more than 20 reviews and book chapters.

Elected a Fellow in 1992, Professor Rickard was one of the first recipients of a Clunies Ross Award. He went on to become a long-time member of the Award’s Selection Committee, and was an invaluable member of the Health Forum.

Professor Rickard died on 25 June, aged 77. He is survived by his wife Trish, three children and four grandchildren. He is sorely missed.