OBITUARY

Neville McCarthy died on 13/11/2021.

Dr McCarthy, born 1929, was a leader in the pharmaceutical sector and one of the founders of Australia’s biotechnology industry.

As the Second World War reached its crescendo, the 15-year-old Neville McCarthy met a girl on the train to school. He and Margaret — a future pianist and educator — were married in 1952 and would go on to have five children.

Neville completed his medical studies at the University of Melbourne and the young the family moved to the small Victorian town of Yarrawanga, where he became a popular local GP.

But in 1968 deafness caused by an inherited inner-ear disorder forced Dr McCarthy to leave his practice. He returned to Melbourne, changed career, and was appointed Australia and Pacific Managing Director of Squibb, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer.

In 1974, Dr McCarthy became CEO of Australia’s largest biopharmaceutical firm Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL), which was publicly owned until 1994.

Under his 16-year leadership CSL grew from strength to strength, making historic contributions to the medical field including life-saving snake bite treatments and world-first processes to protect donated blood from HIV infection.

Dr McCarthy was named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1984 and was elected a fellow of ATSE in 1988. He was a member of the health forum.

In 1993, Neville and Margaret’s youngest son Robert, a talented veterinary scientist, tragically died from cancer. The family established the Robert Neville McCarthy Scholarship in his honour, which supports students through the University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Veterinary Sciences program. The fund has recently been expanded to help a broader range of students.

Dr McCarthy chaired numerous medical organisations; helmed human and animal health programs in Australia and abroad; and championed local research and development in fields including genetic engineering.

Neville McCarthy died on 13 November 2021 aged 92, seven years after Margaret. He is survived by his children Elizabeth, Gavan, Jennifer and Neil, and his grandchildren. 

C.S.L., a research based manufacturing and marketing organisation plays a key role in providing to Australia the latest advances in human and veterinary medicine.
As Managing Director since 1974, Dr. McCarthy has given outstanding leadership over extended time not only to its technological achievements but in developing its commercial performance while retaining its national stature.
Moreover as a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council from 1974 - 1985, and as Director of the major WHO Collaborating Centre in Australia, based in c.s.L., he has contributed importantly to national and international health programmes.
He is considered an outstanding candidate for election to membership.
The skills of its staff and the excellence of its facilities are unmatched in Australia and have received worldwide recognition.
It is a substantial provider of indigenous pharmaceutical products
and has increasingly taken a leadership role in local R & D in
genetic engineering and synthesis of peptides.