OBITUARY

Patricia Kailis died on 17/04/2020.

Dr Patricia Verne Kailis (nee Hurse) was born in Castlemaine Victoria 19 August 1933. She studied medicine at The University of Melbourne and moved to Perth in 1958 to work at Royal Perth, Princess Margaret and King Edward Memorial hospitals.

In 1960 Dr Kailis moved to Dongara, Western Australia and became the local general practitioner. Kailis and her husband Michael established a crayfish factory and became involved in ship building, the prawning industry in Exmouth, and the pearling industry in Broome.

After moving back to Perth, she held honorary positions in neurology and genetics at Royal Perth Hospital between 1970 and 1995. Dr Kailis introduced a program for predictive testing of Huntington’s disease and was involved in research into motor neurone disease and muscular dystrophy.

She went on to become a pioneer in the field of genetic counselling and a driving force in applying technology in the field of human disability services, and was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Member of the Order of Australia for her work.

Dr Kailis’s research and development contributions in the Australian pearling industry have been critical to its ongoing success. She led the MG Kailis Group of Companies as Governing Director from 1999, and was deeply involved in numerous business, research and charitable organisations in Western Australia.

Dr Kailis was elected to the Academy in 1996, one of very few women Fellows at that time. She played a leading role in the ATSE community in WA, particularly in supporting the election of more women Fellows and mentoring them.

The Honourable Kim Beazley, Governor of Western Australia, described her as “One of the most brilliant and charitable people I have known.”

Patricia Kailis died at home on 17 April 2020 aged 86, and is survived by her children Maria, George, Amanda and Alex.